The following is a guest post from Lynn Hauka.

You sprinted out the door this morning and vaulted into your car, only to hear the click of a dead battery when you turned the ignition key.

Your boss yelled at you for being two hours late, seemingly unaware of just how freaking long it takes for someone to show up and give a jump start.

It’s like he thinks you were late on purpose.

You’re convinced he backstabbed you in the client meeting this afternoon. Oh sure, he sounded innocent enough.

But you’ve got his number.

He’s probably dissing you to his boss right now. You can practically hear their sneering laughter.

When you get home, you can’t stop thinking about what happened, even though the more you do, the more you freak out.

Your stomach churns gallons of acid, and if you clenched your jaws any tighter, your teeth would probably shatter.

You try to distract yourself on Facebook, only to be bombarded with perky reassurances that all you have to do is think positive thoughts and magically everything will be better.

And worse, your crappy day is probably your fault for not eliminating negativity, so you attracted what you feared.

Welcome to Your Life Sucks, Version 7,295,683.

But what if you discovered how to view life’s happenings as, well, simply life’s happenings?

The Surprising Option Almost No One Knows

Struggles in life are inevitable.

Have a root canal, clean up after the kid puked all over your bed at 4:00 am, sit in the dark frozen with fear because your teenager’s hours late and you can’t find her.

When you imagine your life stretching out ahead of you, you know all kinds of crap will be woven in with the good. Which can make you feel pretty damn miserable.

But there’s an option most people don’t know: loading up your life struggles with misery is optional.

That’s right. Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you have to lard on the misery like a ravenous person heaps sour cream and butter on their baked potato.

How To Stop Freaking Out And See Your Struggles For What They Really Are

Learn to see your life exactly as it is, minus your opinion about what’s happening.

How?

Do so by meditating regularly and developing the objectivity to simply see your life events as they are.

Opinions are the mother of misery. By meditating you’ll get the hang of dropping them. When you do drop them, your torment will melt like an ice cube on a hot sidewalk.

To get started meditating, sit comfortably. Focus your attention on the rise and fall of your belly as you breathe.

While you do, watch what happens in your mind, body, and emotions.

Be curious about whatever comes up.

Note the stories you tell yourself, the tense places in your body, and your moods. But pass no judgment and make no analysis. Just observe, like a scientist collecting data.

Your attention will wander. When it does, bring it back gently, just like you’d bring back a small child. Re-focus on your breath.

Meditate daily.

Over time, you’ll feel happier and calmer. Everyday annoyances will flow past you like water instead of provoking a reaction.

It takes work and practice, just like anything worthwhile does.

But one day you’ll notice how something that used to freak you out provokes little more than a raised eyebrow and a smile, followed by a whoosh of relief.

Look Your Gut-Wrenching Fear Right In The Eye

Everyday life struggles are one thing to see just as they are. But the calm of meditation can also support you through major life events like death, illness, or injury.

When my Army son deployed to Iraq on a combat tour, I felt nauseated with anxiety. He described his job as “door kicker in-er,” so I knew he was regularly in someone’s crosshairs.

Positive thinking and eliminating negativity seemed like self-indulgent childish lies.

I could easily have given in to my sickening fear and lashed out in blind terror. And I won’t pretend I didn’t have moments of feeling overwhelmed.

But because I’d practiced meditation regularly, I was able to muster enough calm and objectivity for us to have some of our most profound conversations, about topics I never imagined having to talk about with my kid.

Like if he died, did he want to be buried or cremated? If he was injured and on life support, did he want to be kept on it? Or about how he could use combat as a growth experience if he so chose. Our relationship deepened.

Even when he was injured, I was able to ride through my terror without falling apart.

Are You Ready To Ride Life’s Ups And Downs Like A Champ?

As you strengthen your ability to stop infusing all of life’s events with misery, you’ll feel happier, calmer, and more content.

You won’t need to fake yourself out by pretending everything’s ducky when it’s not, or blame yourself for somehow attracting what you feared.

All it takes to get started is a few minutes a day when you sit quietly, focus your attention, and simply observe.

Be ready to rejoice in your newfound tranquility.

Then when life does bring on the crap, you’ll be ready to turn it into golden personal growth.

Author bio:

Lynn Hauka teaches stressed-out managers to work less, play more, and still get great results. Sign up at The Balanced Boss and get a free copy of “How To Build Trust By Making A Simple Shift In The Way You Ask Questions”. Lynn’s also a long-time meditation teacher.