Slow it down

Sometimes the world spins a little too fast. Slow it down.

Take a breath.

Stop worrying so much.

Live in the present.

You are not in a race to have the biggest social following or make the most money. Life is instead a journey to be the best version of yourself and to leave the world better than when you arrived. Be happy.

Give yourself a little time away from it all to solve bigger problems. Wrestle with new ideas. Reflect.

Consider this a gentle reminder to step away from the computer and slow things down.

Anticipatory worrying vs. intelligent worrying

Excitement about the future is waning. Rather than projecting future advances in technology or imagining the next scientific discovery, people are predicting every circumstance that could lead to the end of the world. We just discovered a new monkey for goodness sake. How could the Mayan apocalypse more exciting than monkeys? This toxic anticipatory worrying can be debilitating and downright tiresome. You can't really just quit worrying cold turkey like smoking. But maybe you can start worrying better? Worrying can actually be a productive state, if managed correctly. Good or intelligent worrying allows for a constructive review of a problem. It's sort of like good stress. And yes, there is such a thing as good stress. Good worrying allows us to reflect on previous experiences and get ahead of whatever is causing you distress. Review the potential consequences of the situation - both good and bad. See how unlikely most of your potential consequences are? Note how to monitor them if they do arise. Now, stop worrying and move on to doing something else. Do anything. Just stop worrying.

Sill find it hard to manage your worrying or stress? Share your concerns with someone else. It usually helps me to get another perspective and just talk it out. Things like getting enough sleep, exercising and eating healthy also go a long way. No matter how much edamame or unprocessed food I eat or how many 5Ks I run, insomnia is my biggest crux. When all else fails, and I find myself wide awake at 3 a.m., there's nothing as quite comforting as a psychological study. Okay. It would be really comforting to fall sleep right now. But this recent study from SUNY Downstate Medical Center suggests excessive worrying correlates with high intelligence. Ignorance may be bliss, but at least my extreme state of worry (stress) means I'm smarter than the average bear. It sure beats worrying over why I'm worrying about not sleeping.

How to do you stop worrying? Better yet, have any tips for insomnia?

Image by Oy Photography

Pearls of wisdom and other bizarre utterances

Pearls of wisdom are supposedly divine. They're insightful ideas, thoughtful advice or moral precept. Plus, Grandmom always wore her pearls while sipping a can of Coors. So there's that. While life continues to show me I have much more to learn, I'd like to think the following pearls of wisdom have done a decent job steering me along so far.

1. C'est la vie. Things happen. Sometimes you can control them and sometimes you can't. Accept the things you cannot change, eat a giant bowl of coffee ice cream and get on with the rest of your day. Wait, you don't eat ice cream for breakfast? I guess that's just me.
2. Whether it's big or small, always have something to look forward to. Maybe it's your upcoming trip to the beach. Or if you're me, you get equally as excited about drinking a fourth cup of coffee on a particularly slow Wednesday afternoon.
3. Spend your money on experiences. Forget material things. Visit Europe or maybe Australia. Take lots of pictures too. Trust me. You will not regret it.
4. Quit working all the time. Get out from behind your computer screen. Have fun. Stop tweeting about life and experience it every once in a while.
5. If it's too good to be true, think about it again. If it's still too good to be true, it probably is.
6. Be your truest self every day. Everyone has their own opinions. They probably even have an opinion on how you brush your hair. Or, in my case, my lack of brushing. At the end of the day, the only person you need to answer to is yourself. Always remember that.
7. Stop reading the comments section on news sites and blogs. It's especially disheartening to read if you have thin skin. Luckily, I don't, but it's still one of the saddest places on the Internet.
8. Your real friends are always there. In fact, they might just be eating bananas and milk sprinkled with cinnamon on your couch at this very moment. Sometimes between mouthfuls they tell you how badly you screwed up. Might not be pretty, but they always tell you what you don't want to hear.
9. Do what you love. Be passionate about it. Then go out and do it ten times better than everyone else.
10. Life is too short. Screw fear. Put yourself out there and go after the things you want. I mean, the zombie apocalypse is coming anyway, right? Just don't forget sunscreen. And maybe a rifle to fend off the zombies.
11. Hand-write thank you notes to people. It really goes a long way.
12. Talk to strangers. I once thought my mom was a certified nut job when she'd randomly talk to strangers in the grocery store about apples. But now I find myself doing it all the time. Must be in my genes? Most times the strangers are warning me not to slip on the spilled spaghetti sauce in aisle five. Never the less, I've managed to meet some pretty cool people who were once strangers to me.
13. Read books about things you know little about. How else do you learn about globalization or how Google thinks?
14. Not everybody will get your sense of humor. Mine is sort of dry and heavy on the sarcasm. Usually, people just think I'm insulting them or they stare blankly at me trying to decipher whether I'm joking or not. I try to keep people who get my humor around and avoid those who don't.
15. Things go much more smoothly when you're respectful and kind to others. This is just as applicable in the workplace as it is when you're serving community breakfast at the church down the street.
16. Cut yourself off from technology on occasion. At first it might feel a little like the dream where you walk around naked and nobody other than you seems to notice. Other people have this dream, right? Anyway, after you wander down to the park (preferably clothed) or delve into a new painting, it's really not so bad. In fact, it feels pretty damn liberating.
17. Have an opinion. Rather than bowing out of a conversation due to indifference, let people know what you think. It's quite refreshing.
18. Embrace your flaws. They're what make you who you are. I laugh off my clumsiness when possible. Otherwise, I'd probably cry at my innate ability to trip over or spill everything within a two foot radius.
19. Family and friends trump pretty much everything. If you are lucky enough to have such special people in your life, keep them close and remind them how much you care.
20. Harness the power of silence. Be comfortable with it. Enjoy it. Open your ears and your mind, but most of all stop being so noisy for a change.