Could you Handle Good News More Effectively?

The relief that accompanies good news may be undermining your happiness and these 2 tricks can help.

The good news for the pet owners in my coyote riddled neighborhood is that lost animals just seem to find me. Upon their fur-babies’ return, I’m regaled with the visions people had of sweet Fluffy’s desperate attempts to survive the elements and the beasts that abound and, of course, they feared the worst. Not just once. They feared the worst over and over again in a multitude of scenarios. Then they tell me they’re so relieved.

Reacting to bad news has been modeled for us since birth because all of our survival instincts kick into high gear once an obstacle presents itself. Quite simply, problems need our attention so our focus is swiftly diverted until those problems no longer feel threatening. However we haven’t been taught how to handle good news at all, yet handling it correctly goes a long way toward decreasing stress and increasing happiness.

If you’ve never given much thought to how you handle positive outcomes, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people don’t. We’re not wired, by default, to spend a lot of time on non-issues so unless it’s been … (read the full article at YourTango.com where it was originally published.)