In work as in life, bad things happen. 

Two recent studies published together in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology illustrate that “certain ways of making sense of challenging experiences better support our mental health than others.” So says Jonathan Adler, assistant professor of psychology at Olin College of Engineering and lead researcher.

Although Adler notes that he hasn’t studied job-related challenges specifically, he says that people experiencing any difficulty, such as getting fired or laid-off, can maintain better mental health “through the way they choose to tell their story.”

For the studies, dozens of adults provided narratives of their life experiences.

It wasn’t specific negative experiences that mattered to the researchers, but the way people interpreted them.

Those with higher degrees of agency, or “the feeling that you are in the driver’s seat of your life,” explains Adler, exhibited lower levels of depression and a higher sense of well-being.

“Of course, things happen to all of us that are beyond our control, but we are not just the main characters in our life stories, we are also the narrator,” Adler says. “When difficult things happen, it’s important not to gloss over the negative, or rush to some neat conclusion, but being able to find a positive lesson or outcome of a challenge seems to support positive mental health.”

Beneficial ways to view bad events seems to dovetail with advice from outplacement expert John Challenger on explaining getting fired for cause. For starters, be honest. “You don’t want to surprise your potential future employer with any information, especially a firing,” Challenger says.

Then, explain “the steps you have taken to correct the behavior. For instance, if you were fired for chronic lateness, perhaps this position is closer to your home and the commute won’t be an issue,” Challenger concludes.