When I was staying in Calcutta, taking classes on the Isha Vasya Upanishad, a man came to see me. 

He said, “Swamiji, I have a problem. I don’t sleep well at night because I live in an area where there are many street dogs. Every night they start barking, and keep barking till sunrise. I am already a very light sleeper, and I am unable to get any rest because of this noise”.

I told him, “Go home and try this tonight. When you hear the barking, just drop the anger, the frustration and the negative feelings that rise up in you. Just listen to the barking sound without resisting. Tell yourself that the dogs are barking, that’s all. Don’t allow yourself to react it. The problem is not the barking but your resistance to it”.

The man went back and tried what I said. After a few days he came back to me and reported, “Swamiji, I tried dropping my resistance as you said. Instead of thinking – how dare these stupid dogs spoil my sleep; I just relaxed thinking – Dogs are barking, dogs are barking, some animals are creating some sounds….By the time I came to that sentence, I fell asleep. Anyway I’ve been having excellent sleep all these days. Thank you Swamiji!”. 

This can happen with you also. Any situation can be dealt with, if you know how to drop your negativity, if you know how to drop your negative reaction to it.