JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their emotions and their behavior. They are able to handle life's inevitable challenges, build strong relationships and lead productive, fulfilling lives.

When bad things happen, they're able to bounce back and move on. Unfortunately, too many people take their mental and emotional health for granted and focus on it only when they develop problems.

Just as it requires effort to build or maintain physical health, so it is with mental and emotional health. The more time and energy you invest in your emotional health, the stronger it will be.

The good news is that there are many things you can do to boost your mood, build resilience and get more enjoyment out of life. The first thing may be to turn your station. How do you do this?

Each of us has an "internal radio." So for things to change, somebody somewhere has to start thinking differently. Maybe it's you, maybe it's your team or maybe it's the driver next to you.

When asking people to talk about the disastrous driving they've seen, people often say its distracted driving that's to blame, such as people eating, applying makeup or even shaving behind the wheel. In fact, surveys show that the more drivers are distracted, the more other drivers get angry and start honking, cursing, making obscene gestures and waving their fists in the air.

When enraged drivers actually lash out at others on the road, its called road rage. Experts say it can be a sign of deeper emotional problems. If you are a driver in today's chaotic and unpredictable world, you just may encounter road rage.

The best thing to do is to ensure that your internal radio is tuned in on the correct station. This is the station that reminds you to remain calm and not make matters worse, the station that helps you avoid getting stressed and reminds you to take a deep breath.

Put your mind at rest and change the way you respond. Learn to let certain day to day events go to keep your sanity. Tune in to a station that keeps your thoughts more productive. It is your responsibility to use your internal radio to prevent rage of any kind and manage your emotional response to power charged human emotional responses of others.

Let's all be self aware and know when it's time to put that radio on a different station because the life you save just might be your own.