By Mary Russell, M.S.

How much time would you get back if you chose not to worry about the little things in life you think are unfair, rude, or inconvenient…if you CHOSE not to “sweat the small stuff?” Life is full of countless things that might bother us at any given time. I’m just as guilty as anyone (if not more guilty) of this offense and I can think of a myriad of – let’s face it – stupid things, I spent time upsetting myself about. To give you some examples, here’s a list of things that I’ve wasted at least 1 minute (and up to…much longer) being angry about:

1. People who walk slowly because they’re trying to walk and text at the same time
2. When my dog pees on the carpet
3. People who roll their eyes at me when I walk slowly while texting
4. When I go to get my laundry from the dryer and it’s still wet
5. When I smudge my nail polish

6. When people don’t respond to emails as quickly as I want
7. When I miss the bus
8. When I forget my phone for the day
9. …when things don’t go my way.

I bet some of you reading this think I’m a bit of a wet blanket, maybe even a brat…but I bet you have a list of things like this too. They may seem ridiculous when you write them down and really think about them but in the moment these “stupid” things like these really do bother us. The good thing is, after recognizing how silly they really are, we can choose not to upset ourselves about them. While we may think these things will break us down and ruin our day, the truth is that most of them won’t …unless we let them. You can choose to make a mountain out of a molehill OR you can tell yourself what these small things really are – small things that are more or less inconsequential in the grand scheme of life.

So your homework for today:

1. Make a list of the things that really upset you

2. Decide which of these things you want to choose not waste your time being upset over

3. Put them in an envelope

4. Seal the envelope

5. Throw it away

Don’t sweat the small stuff – if you can make this choice, you’ll be in a better position to deal with the more important things life throws at us.

#tbt