What If Stressing Won’t Change Anything?

I tentatively placed my foot onto the dark soil. As I slowly shifted my weight onto it, I could feel my foot rapidly sinking. Yikes! I quickly pulled it back to safety.

I plant a pretty big vegetable garden every spring; maybe 50 by 30 feet in size. My goal is to get the seeds and plants in after the last frost, which is usually mid-May. Today is May 23rd. It’s time to plant!! But we’ve been getting so much rain that my garden is a muddy mess. I tested it yesterday, and quickly realized I would sink out of sight if I tried to walk in it! So I have to wait…

There’s a part of me that wants to stress. The longer I wait, the longer until we can enjoy the fresh produce and the less produce we’ll harvest. I should be planting now! I know that’s my survival instinct kicking in, focusing on what I don’t like.

I have to tell myself that stressing won’t change anything. 

My 15-year old daughter tells me she would like to go to college far away and in a big city. She wants to visit campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. There’s a BIG part of me that could easily stress about her plans. I want to support her dreams, AND I want her to be safe. I know that’s my survival instinct kicking in, focusing on what I don’t like. 

I know if I show any signs of disagreement, it will only make her more determined. I have to tell myself that stressing won’t change anything.

Building my positivity skills has been incredibly valuable for letting go of useless stress. It takes practice, but I’m getting better at having a conversation with myself so I can realize when things are out of my control.

What about you? What are you stressing about that you can’t change? Try having a talk with yourself, and check out this tip for more ideas, There’s So Much to Worry About – It’s Stressing Me Out.