Steve Ward

We all get trapped in harmful thought patterns and negative self-talk, but we can learn to manage our minds. When we do, every day becomes better. That’s encouraging!

Many of us have an unconscious fixation on control that causes us to worry about things we don’t need to. One of the best ways to worry less is to loosen that obsessive behavior with a simple yet life-changing choice—to let go. Declare that the matter is not something you can change or just not worth worrying about. When the compulsion to control returns, let go again. That simple choice will bring a much greater sense of peace—both for you and the people around you.

Whether we know it or not, life is pretty much how we make it out to be because our perspective is something we choose. When things happen to us, it is largely our decision how much we are affected by them for good or for bad. For example, when we face tension or change, we are being stretched, which is a good thing when it enhances our perspective. If we embrace the tension we face rather than fear it, life becomes an exciting adventure of growth and expanding horizons.

People are busy these days, and the noise and clutter in our lives creates anxiety. It sometimes feels like we’re running in place rather than getting anywhere. This leads to an uneasy sense of dissatisfaction unless we choose to do something about it. But there’s good news, because we can find more contentment if we focus on things that are important and ignore the rest. If we actively take things OFF our to-do list and live more purposefully one step at a time.

Anxiety can be a good thing. Yes, you read that right. Because we can change how we think about anxiety and how we approach it, and that will change our lives for the better. These days, everyone feels stress at times, but there are things we can do to deal with anxiety better.