Worrying is the worst. Here are 11 things not to worry about, so you can spend your time doing better things.
1. What People Think Of You
The other morning I woke up and thought about whether my best friend’s girlfriend likes me after what I said the night before about Irish goodbyes. I’m for them and she’s totally against them. I wondered if what I’d said made her think less of me. But then I realized that I was wasting my time. I like her, and that’s all that matters—if she doesn’t like me, that’s her problem. Because my best friend isn’t going to stop liking me, even if his girlfriend does.
2. Dying
All forms of life die. There’s no way around it. The best thing to do is figure out how to live exactly the way you want. Try to imagine that today is your last day alive. What would you do differently?
3. The future and the past
This one is hard for me. There’s so much unknown out there, and anything can happen, right? Well, here’s another way of thinking about it: everything that happens happens exactly the way it was supposed to happen. So whatever happened in the past was meant to happen that way, and same goes for whatever happens in the future.
4. Other people’s drama
I have a friend who’s always breaking up with her boyfriend. I used to be there for her, but after the third of fourth time, I realized that she was only bringing me down with her whenever she worried about what to do next. Now, if she and her boo are “breaking up,” I wish her luck and get back to work.
5. Keeping up with trends
Between planned obsolescence, high fashion, and the Internet, I’m pretty much never totally up on the trends. That’s cool with me—by buying quality, fine things, and cultivating my taste based on classic styles from the past, I feel good knowing that what always looks good is better than the flavor of the week.
6. Your to-do list
Attack it one at a time, try not to procrastinate, and see that list shrink. Whenever you start to worry about it, act on it and see your worry disappear.
7. Your mistakes
Worse things have happened. And after they do you can only learn from them. I believe it was Samuel Beckett who said: “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” And look at him—he won the Nobel Prize.
8. Your appearance
You can’t change your appearance unless you have a lot of money, and then you still may not look better. Everyone always wants to be sexier and more beautiful. But we can’t all be runway models. Instead, get used to feeling comfortable with who you are. Admitting your deficiencies or the truth to yourself will help. And if saying them aloud doesn’t work, you can always try writing it down on paper.
9. Work
You should be working in a job that doesn’t make you miserable. Sure, there may be people who annoy you, but unless you actively hate yourself for working there, you shouldn’t worry. Try to deal with those people one-on-one by telling them what you want to see resolved. Then work hard, and if you really hate it so much, don’t worry about it; just quit and find something new. You’d be surprised how necessity and desperation can work in your favor to help you get a new job fast.
10. Money
Yes you need it. But while it’s nice to have, most of us can make do with less. Live your life so that you can reflect on the great times you had, and don’t worry about spending that extra few dollars on the meal you really want when you go out to dinner—just enjoy it. That said, you can’t party all the time, so make sure you have some money stashed away for a rainy day.
11. Your Decisions
You try to make the right decisions and most of the time you do. But sometimes the worry creeps into your head that maybe you’re making the wrong ones. Don’t despair. See number 7 and remember that you’re only young once.
