STOP WORRING & START LIVING

Worry, fear, and anxiety are necessary so long as they are springboards to rectify an unhealthy situation. Fear is based on perceptions. We can choose to believe our problems are insurmountable or we can see them as opportunities. A negative view does not define the true reality of a problem.

In today’s fast-paced environment, many people are accustomed to reacting to problems rather than actively deal with them. They look for the quick fix, but quick fixes don’t always work in the long term. You can choose to pop a pill to treat an illness believe they deserve a life of smooth sailing and react angrily when something negates that dream. or make a lifestyle change to prevent illness from occurring.

Fear and stress interfere with the natural functioning of the brain. Negative emotions stifle creativity and subdue the desire to solve difficult problems. However, once decisive action is taken, fear and worry disappear.

The world has always been in turmoil, but worrying about it changes nothing. You can only change the way you view the world. Throughout history there have been men and women who did not accept their economic realities. Despite depressions and war, they set achievable goals and found happiness in the pursuit of those goals.

There is no peaceful life but what lies beneath the ground. Troubles are meant to build character. That requires us to be adaptable and flexible when facing every problem. Too many

Self-help books are filled with the pick-yourself-up-bythe-bootstraps philosophy. While that may work for some, a majority surrender all hope and continue to live under fear and unhappiness. Success only comes by handling today’s problems as they occur. Dale Carnegie in his book, “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,” gives some sage advice on living in “day-to-day compartments.” Few people live for the moment. They worry about tomorrow, a tomorrow that may not happen. Shutting off thoughts of what the future might bring reduces much of the stress that most people live under.

Fear, anxiety, and stress are symptoms of a selfish nature. Few people take time to be thankful for what they have. They consistently fail to express appreciation in their personal relationships with their families and coworkers. One of the best stress relievers of our time is smiling and showing compassion.

Abraham Lincoln said it best: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Worry, fear, depression, and anxiety do not have to wreck anyone’s life. No antidepressants, month-long holidays, or outside stimuli can ever banish fear and worry permanently, unless we take steps to change our mental outlooks from negative to positive.