I don't know about you, but lately I've been spending my time fighting the urge to sell. My portfolio has become smaller and redder by the day -- and there's no end in sight. Watching the losses stack up is becoming unbearable.

Which got me thinking ...

WWBD?
What would Buffett do?

As hard as I might try, I can't convince myself that he would sell and cut his losses. Every indication says he would patiently wait things out and probably add to his positions, or open new ones. And that's just what he's doing, as his op-ed in The New York Times made clear last year, and which his annual report just confirmed.

His ability to invest without falling prey to the fear of uncertainty has made him the greatest investor of all time.

But that's Buffett, not me. And even though I know what I ought to do, I'm still plagued by anxiety -- and I'm nowhere near as patient as he is. What can investors like me do when panic sets in?

Get paid to wait!
Those who are made impatient and anxious by this bear market (like I am) should consider investing in dividend-paying stocks. They offer the closest thing today's market has to a guaranteed gain.

As I pointed out at the beginning of the year, as stock prices drop, dividend yields rise -- which means that some of the world's top companies now also boast mouthwatering yields. And those yields can provide a nice return on your investment, even when the market itself is flatlining.

But it's important not to focus on a dividend yield alone, as recent developments with the following stocks make clear:

Company

Problem With Dividend

Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF)

Announced a 86.7% dividend cut to improve the ratio of tangible equity to tangible managed assets.

Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC)

Slashed dividend by 85%, which will amount to $5 billion in savings.

Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN)

Cut its quarterly dividend roughly in half to reduce debt and strengthen its balance sheet.

Even in a bear market, growing companies that pay dividends can be too good to be true -- so be sure to do your research.

Due dividend diligence
It's important to buy dividend-paying companies that have strong fundamentals and the ability to increase their dividends over time. Although dividend stocks will certainly help get you through this bear market, they should also have the qualities necessary to become core holdings of your portfolio.

James Early and Andy Cross, co-advisors of Motley Fool Income Investor, like to find dividend-paying companies that have:

The following companies fit those criteria, and all of them are large caps with yields of 5% or greater and dividend payments that have increased over the past year:

Company

Market Cap

Dividend Yield

Trailing-12-Month
Dividend Yield Growth

BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) Continued...