As the negative emotions run high as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crystal Reeck and an international team of researchers have been hard at work to help bolster the psychological resilience of our global community.

The researchers found that reappraisal—an emotion regulation strategy that modifies how we think about a situation—substantially reduced negative emotions while simultaneously increasing positive emotions. The positive effects of reappraisal were just as impactful in improving emotions as lockdown had been to decrease them.

Practicing reappraisal can help anyone overcome challenges, whether caused by a global pandemic or simply getting caught in traffic.