Attitude 1: Focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t

it’s a great all-around stress management technique.

Worry postponement is exactly what it sounds like—a deliberate choice to put off worrying for another time. This is different from saying you won’t worry. Because you will. This is more about taking control and managing your worry, proactively deciding how much of an impact you want it to have on your life.

This is the underlying premise of CBT: our thoughts (not the outside world) influence how we see the world and how we behave. Thoughts create emotions, which shape our perception and change our beliefs about ourselves and how we act. When we change our thoughts, everything else follows.

The first thing you can do is avoid.

When we talk about stress-management, we are not necessarily talking about getting rid of stress entirely. It’s impossible! And we’re also not talking about numbing yourself out, becoming less perceptive, or being less aware. Rather, it’s about being aware without attaching anxiety-provoking narratives and judgments to that awareness.

We can be aware without being anxious.

“I’m noticing some anxiety.”

Emotions: Tease out the emotion that these automatic thoughts inspired, as well as their intensity as a percentage.