NOW WHAT???

One minute we’re clinking our champagne flutes, yelling “Happy New Year”, and two eye-blinks later, we’re in the middle of January. I’m already hearing folks scramble about their proposed goals and how they haven’t made a dent in starting.  The anxiety levels are quickly rising and I have to ask….for what?

I recently saw a definition of anxiety to be: “A persistent fear or worry about daily life or future situations”.  I also saw a list of physiological impacts that anxiety can cause on the body, to include high blood pressure, tension headaches, chest pain, elevated heart rate, mental confusion and depression.

With these two pieces of information, the obvious question is, why get anxious for anything?

Easier said than done.  I believe it is a natural human nature to be curious about what will happen next.  Whether you’re waiting for a decision to be made about your life, or whether you just want to know if the predicted winter storm will impact your travel commute.

The key is to not allow that healthy curiosity turn in to worrisome anxiety. Here are a few simple rules I keep for myself:

Don’t overthink a situation – Stop thinking of everything that can go wrong before a situation even occurs.  Yes, it’s okay to be realistic, but intentionally prevent your mind from venturing to the “what ifs”.

Always give your best effort – Often times when we think of the coulda, shoulda, wouldas, it’s because we realize we did not give our best effort so we spend time re-thinking a situation.  Stop that.  Give your best effort, and forget the rest.

Practice gratitude daily – When you take time to be thankful, the worry and anxiety doesn’t stand a chance!

Now go back to enjoying the beginnings of the year! Pace yourself and focus on moving forward in peace, love and gratitude!

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