At our latest agency book club meeting, we discussed “Emotional Agility” by Susan David. The book offers different strategies to help you become “unhooked” from negative thoughts and emotions – an evergreen topic that bears additional weight and increased value in our 2020 world. If time for reading is on your side, consider picking up a copy here. If not, here are five fast takeaways from our team.

1. Be emotionally alert and flexible. Emotional agility makes it possible to recognize, process and work through your negative thoughts and feelings, which makes it easier to align your life and actions with your intentions and values.
2. Don’t just have values, use them for good. Your values are personal and freely chosen, and they can be used to guide you where you want to go, e.g., toward self-acceptance or the life you want to live. Leverage them accordingly.
3. Don’t stuff your negative feelings, examine them. When a negative emotion strikes, take time to consider what you’re experiencing and what the purpose might be. This will help you get “unhooked” and move forward productively.
4. Don’t make happiness your goal. Striving for happiness is incompatible with the nature of happiness. Instead, living your values is ultimately what will help you achieve happiness.
5. Seek balance to thrive. When you aren’t challenged, you’re likely to get bored. When you’re over-challenged, you’re likely to burn out. To avoid apathy and exhaustion, pursue options that push you past your comfort zone so you can grow. And when a tougher challenge arises, determine whether it’s worth your time and energy to persevere. If not (and if you can), go ahead and skip it.