1. Live in daytight compartments, live each day until bedtime. Live each day as if it was the 1st & the last. I stood yesterday, I can stand today. Don’t think about tomorrow.

 

2. What’s the worst that can possibly happen if I can’t solve my problem? Mentally prepare for the worst, then improve on it.

 

3. I know no companion as terrible as fear. Remember, “Those who do not know how to fight worry, die young.” Worrying is detrimental to your health, don’t make yourself ill.

 

1. a) Get the facts. 1/2 of worry is caused by having insufficient knowledge to make a decision. b) Come to a decision c) Act, get busy carrying it out & dismiss all anxiety about the outcome.

 

2. When tempted to worry, ask, What is the problem? What is the cause? What are all possible solutions? What is the best solution? Analyse your troubles then do something constructive.

1. Crowd worry out of your mind by keeping busy. Plenty of action cures wibber-jibbers. Become too absorbed in your tasks (planning & thinking) to worry. “I must lose myself in action, lest I wither in despair.” Without purpose, we disintegrate. Physical exercise clears your mental outlook. Use muscles more & brain less.

 

2. Don’t fuss about triffles / trivialities. Don’t permit little things, the mere termites / beetles of life to ruin your happiness. Don’t sweat the small stuff we despise & forget.

 

3. Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries. What are the odds against this thing happening at all? With time & patience, anxiety will collapse like a pricked balloon. In a fortnight or month from now, will you still be bothered about this? Probably not, so why worry now?

 

4. If a circumstance is beyond your power / control to change, tell yourself, “It is so, it cannot be otherwise.” It is written / fate. Accept the inevitable, then pick up the pieces.

 

5. Put a stop-loss order on your worries. Decide just how much anxiety it’s worth & refuse to give it anymore.

 

6. No use crying over spilt milk. Let the past bury its dead. Don’t saw sawdust.

1. Let’s fill our minds with thoughts of peace, courage, health & hope. It’s important what we think; our thoughts make us what we are. “Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

 

1. I will be happy. Happiness comes from within, it’s not a matter of externals. Think & act cheerfully & you will feel cheerful.

2. I will try to adjust myself to what is.

3. I will take care of my body, nourish it, not abuse nor neglect it so it’ll be the perfect machine to do my bidding.

4. I will strengthen / stimulate my mind. I will learn something useful & not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought & concentration.

5. I will exercise my soul. Do 1 good turn unnoticed & 2 things I don’t want to do.

6. I will be agreeable, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticise not at all nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate or improve anyone.

7. I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem all at once.

8. I will have a program & write what I expect to do each hour. I may not follow it exactly but it will eliminate hurrying & indecision.

9. I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax.

10. I will be unafraid to enjoy what is beautiful & to believe that those I love, love me.

 

2. Never try to get even with enemies because we’ll hurt ourselves far more than them. Let’s never waste a minute thinking about those we dislike.

3. Do not expect gratitude but give for the joy of giving.

4. Count your blessings, not your troubles. Would you take a million dollars for your eyes & ears etc?

5. Don’t imitate others, find & be yourself for envy is ignorance and imitation is suicide.

6. When fate hands you lemons, make lemonade. “Two men looked out from prison bars, One saw the mud, the other saw stars.”

7. Banish worry & cultivate happiness. Forget yourself by becoming interested in others (ask questions). Every day, do a good deed that will put a smile of joy on someone’s face.

Religion / Spiritual belief & prayer brings peace of mind. You alone are responsible for your troubles but God, spirit or whatever can help.

1. “No one ever kicks a dead dog.” When you are criticised, it gives the kicker a feeling of importance & satisfaction. It often means you are accomplishing something & are worthy or attention / more successful. Vulgar people take huge delight in the faults & follies of great men. You have aroused jealousy / envy. Unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment.

 

2. People are not thinking about you & me, they are busy thinking about themselves. They would be more concerned about their own headache, than your death. You can’t stop people criticising you unjustly but you can ignore it. Do the best you can & never be bothered by what people say as long as you know in your heart you are right; you’ll be criticised anyway. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

 

Negative thoughts & bitter emotions can be contagious. Associate with positive thinkers so you catch health, happiness & success. Humour can always be found. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

 

3. “I have played the fool & have erred exceedingly.” Einstein confessed his conclusions were wrong 99% of the time. Weekly review / self-analysis of positive & negative things you’ve done. Be your own critic & try to improve your faults before your enemy attacks. What lessons can you learn? Take responsibility for misfortunes. The wise man is eager to learn from those who reject or dispute him. None of us are perfect so ask for helpful, unbiased, constructive criticism.

Prevent fatigue by resting & relaxing often. It’s not doing nothing, it’s repairing. Sleep for an hour at teatime. Better than 8 unbroken hours. Psychological emotions (resentment, boredom, futility) can create tension in the body, which becomes a habit. Stop straining / frowning. Think of the wrinkles & smooth them out. Pretend you are limp as a crumpled sock. 1. Relax in odd moments. 2. Work in a comfortable position (release shoulders & muscles) 3. Don’t concentrate so hard. Irritability = inefficiency. It’s difficult to focus while worrying / nervous.

 

Talk to someone you trust who understands for a little advice & sympathy. Use the healing power of words to gain insight & perspective. Get it off your chest / spit it out. Write a stream of consciousness, then crumple up & toss into the recycling. Try mantras / affirmations.

 

Tidy desk = tidy mind. Order chaos. Clear everything apart from the immediate problem at hand. Clutter gives a sense of 100s of obligations that must be done; a mountain of unfinished business. Tackle one thing at a time in order of importance. Solve problems straight away, don’t procrastinate.

 

Banish the boredom – your emotional attitude is more responsible for fatigue than physical so you need stimulation. Metabolism & energy picks up with interest / pleasure. It’s not the amount of work but the worry & frustration that tires. Try to make a dull job interesting with enthusiasm & enjoy moments of leisure.

 

Insomnia – No one has died from sleeplessness, it is the worrying about lack of sleep that is damaging. Instead of tossing & turning, get up & do something productive. Trust that nature will force you to sleep eventually. Just tell yourself you are relaxing & it doesn’t matter if you fall asleep. Try physically exhausting yourself or rolling your eyes back.

 

Remember 90% of the things we worry about never happen. The folly & tragedy of stewing about events beyond our control. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Remember it could be worse. The world has always been in the throws of agony. Civilisation has always been tottering on the brink. The pages of history shriek with tragic tales of war, famine, poverty, pestilence & man’s inhumanity to man. As bad as conditions are now, they are infinitely better than they used to be. You’ve hit bottom & survived. Is this as bad as that? Avoid self-pity, be grateful. Keep fighting, don’t give in.