Here’s Hans Selye’s “prescription for enjoying a full life,” from his book “Stress Without Distress,” pp. 134-135

“We have seen that the stress of frustration is particularly harmful.  Man, with his highly developed central nervous system, is especially vulnerable to psychic insults, and there are various little tricks to minimize these.  Here are a few that I have found useful:

Even if you systematically want to hoard love, don’t waste your time trying to befriend a mad dog.

Admit that there is no perfection, but in each category of achievement something is tops; be satisfied to strive for that.

Do not underestimate the delight of real simplicity in your life style.  Avoidance of all affectations and unnecessary complications earns as much goodwill and love as pompous artificiality earns dislike.

Whatever situation you meet in life, consider first whether it is really worth fighting for.  Do not forget what Nature has taught us about the importance of carefully adjusting syntoxic and catatoxic attitudes to any problems of a cell, a man, or even a society.

Try to keep your mind constantly on the pleasant aspects of life and on actions which can improve your situation.  Try to forget everything that is irrevocably ugly or painful.  This is perhaps the most efficient way of minimizing stress by what I have called voluntary mental diversion.  As a wise German proverb says, ‘Imitate the sundial’s ways/Count only the pleasant days.’

Nothing paralyzes your efficiency more than frustration: nothing helps it more than success.  Even after the greatest defeats the depressing thought of being a failure is best combatted by taking stock of all your past achievements which no one can deny you.  Such conscious stock-taking is most effective in re-establishing the self-confidence necessary for future success.  There is something even in the most modest career that we are proud to recall – you would be surprised to see how much this can help when everything seems hopeless.

When faced with a task which is very painful yet indispensable to achieve your aim, don’t procrastinate; cut right into an abscess to eliminate the pain, instead of prolonging it by gently rubbing the surface.

Realize that men are not created equal, though they should, of course, have a birthright to equal opportunities.  After birth, in a free society, their performance should determine their progress.  There will always be leaders and followers, but the leaders are worth keeping only as long as they can serve the followers by acquiring their love, respect, and gratitude.

Finally, do not forget that there is no ready-made success formula which would suit everybody.  We are all different and so are our problems.  The only thing we have in common is our subordination to those fundamental biological laws which govern all living beings, including man.  Hence, I think a natural code of behavior based on nonspecific mechanisms of adaptation comes closest to what can  be offered as a general guideline for conduct.”