Managing our emotions means how we deal with our emotions. It involves checking in with how we're feeling, and asking if we want to continue feeling that way, or shift to a different feeling. Strategies for managing emotions include, action strategies, which are things that we can do, and thought strategies, which are things that we can think about, or say to ourselves. Action strategies might include things like taking a deep breath or talking to a friend. Thought strategies may include saying something positive to ourselves or trying to re-frame a situation to see it from a new perspective. We've all been managing our emotions from birth, like when we cried to get emotional support from our family members. Still, many of us go through much of our lives using emotion management strategies haphazardly, without much conscious thought. We reach for that pint of ice cream or video game console when we're sad or avoid people or places that bring back uncomfortable memories for us. Managing our emotions well is about becoming more consistent with our strategies. Paying careful attention to the ones that work for us and help us to grow, do the ones that help us to develop and maintain healthy relationships, and do those strategies that help us achieve greater well-being and support the goals that we set for ourselves. Consistent use of helpful strategies not only sets us up to feel better, but also to be better able to deal with challenging feelings when they arise. When we eat and sleep well, move our bodies each day, have a strong social network in place, and have goals and meaningful work ,we tend to be in a better place to manage annoyances, frustrations, and other stressors in helpful ways. These proactive strategies are like building the foundation of a house. When we have a solid foundation for our physical and mental health in place, we're better able to weather the storm.