A new day
Don't live in the past. It's water under the bridge, and you have no control over it anymore. You're worrying for nothing.
Over the years I've built a habit: every morning when I wake up, I start a new life. I don't worry about what's already happened. I leave yesterday in the past and live today as well as I can, to get ready for tomorrow.
A low-information diet
Put yourself on a low-information diet. Politicians will keep slinging mud at each other, TV news will keep shocking you with horrifying events, and news sites will grab your attention with ambiguous headlines that blow the facts out of proportion. The less you know, the better you sleep.
Practice selective ignorance. Don't waste time on nonsense. Focus on what's important and urgent for you and what you have full control over. If something really important happens, someone will definitely tell you about it. You don't need to be on social media first thing in the morning, keeping up with what's going on with everyone. Going out for coffee together is time far better spent.
Will I still be worrying about this in 5 years?
Lou Holtz used to say:
Don't complain! Don't tell your problems to people: eighty percent don't care, and the other twenty percent are glad you have them.
If you're worried, answer two questions for yourself:
- What exactly am I worried about?
- What can I do about it?
If there's something to be done, get busy doing it. What's the absolute worst thing that could happen? Could you handle it?
And does it really matter? Will it be a big deal in your life 5 years from now? Probably not.
The photo shows our water pump giving out on an Austrian highway, on the way to a vacation in Croatia. We had to spend 4 days in Graz waiting for parts and the repair. We extended our time off and moved our hotel bookings around, and along the way we found a place with the best pierogi we've ever eaten, which was the biggest surprise of all!