A big problem that a lot of people have is stress. Many people are way overstressed. That stress is caused by them getting upset over things, often minor.
The best way to avoid stress is to take things lightly. But people need things to take seriously. They need things that they are devout about. So what I have found is the best thing is to try to only be serious about things that are within your control. At least, if they are in your control, then you can at least have done your best.
For example, being really into politics is rough because the candidate I like will lose, and I will get over it, but if I were seriously into politics, then it would be very disappointing.
For me, I can really notice this with things such as watching sports, as there are some sports teams that I like to watch. But watching sports is one of those things that the viewer has no control over. So it is very disappointing when the team does not do well, but there is nothing that I can do about it and in watching it am only setting myself up for disappointment. The best thing to do is to find something you can enjoy, like reading books. Or listening to music. Or playing sports. I try to keep everything more in terms of this sort of thing that I have some sort of control over.
There are some things that I cannot avoid, but if I do the best I can to prevent myself from getting upset over little things and to keep everything I can within my own personal control, then it makes everything just a little easier.
Too careful and cautious for this to really generate much energy. First version, not careful enough!
ReplyDeleteI hate to end the semester on what must feel to you like a frustrating remark, so let me say: at no time in the three semesters I've read your writing did I ever feel you were phoning it in, were just going through the motions--and that has always impressed the hell out of me, Tom.