“I’ve got friends who think this is a little bit deranged,” Bridget Christie says, “but I genuinely see everything, even bad things, as a positive. I think it’s really good to fail. I think it’s good ...

Everyone has a bad day now and then, but some adults seem to completely unravel the moment something doesn’t go their way. A minor inconvenience turns into a sulk. A bit of criticism sparks a tantrum.

Your day has started out fine but now one little thing after another seems to be going badly. Psychologists use the term “hassles” to refer to these small but annoying mini-disasters that plague our ...