It’s a new year, and with it comes new stresses. Your work load is just as demanding as it was last year, if not worse, and you still have all of the same personal obligations related to friends and family that you always have.
So how do you regain control of a to-do list that seems to never end? You start to teach yourself to focus on the here and now instead of a week from now. Here are some tips to break the daily worry habit from Dale Carnegie:
Live in day-tight compartments. Now, this isn’t always possible to do, but it’s important to do it as often as possible. Some things require long-term planning, i.e., your child’s college fund, but it’s important to focus on the things you can do today, right now, to achieve your goals.
Ask yourself: “What is the worst that can happen?” Once you answer this question, you’ve already defined the worst-case scenario, making it easier to come to grips with the situation. From there, you can begin to react. Often, it’s not nearly as bad as you think it will be.
Cooperate with the inevitable. If you’re going to miss your boss’s deadline, accept it and move on. Have a conversation with him or her about why you weren’t able to meet it, and talk about ways to improve on it next time. Once you accept what will happen, it makes it easier to move forward instead of dwelling on the outcome and stressing about it.
Do the very best you can. I know this is something you probably heard from your mom when you were 6 years old, but it really is true. You’re only human, and you can only take on so much. By doing what makes you happy and prioritizing the truly important things, you’ll find many of your stresses start to drift away.
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