Starting our day off with a dose of negativity can have lasting effects.

I try to only vent when I really need to process something, and let the rest go.

My big "double-aha" moment came while anchoring the national news at CBS News. It was at the height of the recession, and on top of the usual negative stories, my newscasts became full of especially heart wrenching stories of people losing their homes, jobs, and retirement savings. Starting the morning off like that could leave even the most optimistic person feeling helpless and hopeless. The lightning bolt came when we changed how we talked about the negative.

Too quickly, venting can turn into dumping garbage on the people around us.

Being in touch with the problems in the world or our lives is important, but even more important is to focus the brain on what we can do about them.

Surfing the web often comes at the cost of face-to-face time with friends and family.

I recently wanted to exercise more, and instead of trying to remind myself about all the health benefits and designing an effective (but boring) workout routine, I thought of the moments in my life when getting a workout has been the most fun.