Climb out of a funk one feeling at a time

You’ve been replaying a harsh text message on loop and find yourself stuck at “resentment.” The room’s warmth feels distant as your phone buzzes with more notifications you’d rather ignore. You flip to the Emotional Guidance Scale and see resentment sits low—just above insecurity and below anger. Instead of forcing yourself into a selfie grin, you choose “frustration” as your next step. Frustration feels more honest than pretending you’re okay, and it signals real progress. You scribble it out in your journal. Next, you pick “positive expectation” a few rungs up and decide that maybe someone sent you that text by mistake. It’s small but tangible. You stand and stretch, taking three deep breaths. You notice your chest unclenching as if a tiny door cracked open. You remind yourself that every step up the scale is backed by research on emotional regulation: small shifts in perception reduce stress hormones and light up reward pathways in the brain. Seeing your feelings as rungs you can climb reframes despair as a journey toward joy.

Notice you’re at “resentment,” then write it down honestly. Choose “frustration” as a reachable next emotion, and do one small action—stretch, walk, or take a breath—to move into it. By treating emotions like steps on a ladder, you steadily climb toward a more positive mindset. Try it the next time you feel stuck.