This stresses so many of us out

Many of us become stressed by our inability to control the future.

For example, you may be ruminating night and day about how different things at work will be once your boss retires.

Or maybe you're on edge over the fact that you've only recently gotten into a relationship and you don't know if it's going to work out.

Maybe your spirits are low because you've been looking to buy a house for some time now to no avail.

If there's one certainty in life, it's that life is uncertain.

The only constant in our lives is change.

Rather than sulking about it, we have to roll with the punches.

It doesn't benefit you to fear worst-case scenarios that may never come to pass.

You can plan for the worst, yes. Just don't convince yourself that the worst is actually going to happen because that will only make you into a nervous wreck.

If we do find ourselves in that situation, we deal with it at that point. But agonizing over it in advance will only drain you of your time, physical/emotional energy, and happiness.

But why not consider that good things may come of whatever you're dreading?

For example, your boss leaving may mean new opportunities for you -- if not a promotion, then the chance to work on plum projects that had previously been out of your reach.

If you're in a new relationship, that person may very well be your future bride or groom. If not, the two of you may carry on in a fruitful relationship for many years.

And just because you've been unsuccessful at this point in your search for a new home doesn't mean your fortunes can't change when least expected.

I'd be remiss if I asserted that being overly optimistic was a sure ticket to a happy ending.

There's no question that all of us should be prepared to deal with challenges in this obstacle course we call life.

We won't always get what we want, when we want it.

No matter how hard we may try to prepare for the future, it remains unpredictable. From unexpected deaths to layoffs to family and financial problems, life can be difficult -- and unfair.

Yet, we really have no choice but to deal with it as best as we can. It sounds cliche at this point, but what doesn't kill us really makes us stronger.

A negative posture, however, will only make those future hardships more difficult to overcome.

So if you shouldn't be too positive or too negative, what's the right course of action to take?

It's striving for a middle ground. In other words, looking on the bright side while being mindful that things may get rocky for a while.

Tell yourself that you'll get through it. Remind yourself that it's not the end of the world.

Above all, believe in yourself. You've gotten through tough situations before -- many of which you never saw coming -- and you'll do it again now.

Keep fighting. Stressing over and trying to control the future is an exercise in futility.

Instead, we should aim to make the most of the present, for that we can control. Let things take their course.

Don't try to meet the future before it has even arrived.

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