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    “The optimal amount of most “bad” things in life is usually greater than zero: A little bit of selfishness is better than none (it helps you care for yourself); A little bit of anxiety is often better than none (it shows it matters); A little bit of self-doubt is definitely better than none (see: Kanye).”

    Mark Manson, The Breakthrough

      “The potential of future suffering is not a reason to suffer now. On the contrary, it’s a reason to be present now. To be good now. To love and live, now. That future may come…and you’ll meet it. If there’s something you can do to prevent it, do it. But hopelessness and despair and dread and anger? They do nothing for nobody–least of all you.”

      Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic Blog

        “Anxiety tip: Next time you cringe over some embarrassing moment you had years ago try to remember other people’s embarrassing moments. You can’t can you? That’s because you’re the only embarrassing human to exist, everyone else is always thinking about how cringey you are.”

        Cassie, Twitter

          “It’s ruinous for the soul to be anxious about the future and miserable in advance of misery, engulfed by anxiety that the things it desires might remain its own until the very end. For such a soul will never be at rest—by longing for things to come it will lose the ability to enjoy present things.”

          Seneca, via The Daily Stoic (Page 250)

            “We’re in a freefall into future. We don’t know where we’re going. Things are changing so fast, and always when you’re going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. And all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a voluntary act. It’s a very interesting shift of perspective and that’s all it is… joyful participation in the sorrows and everything changes.”

            Joseph Campbell, The Hero’s Journey

              “If the problem can be solved, why worry? And if the problem can’t be solved, then worrying will do you no good.”

              Shantideva, via The Practice (Page 99)

                “They are so concerned for their life that their anxiety makes life unbearable, even when they have the things they think they want. Their very concern for enjoyment makes them unhappy… I will hold to the saying that: ‘Perfect joy is to be without joy. Perfect praise is to be without praise.’ If you ask ‘what ought to be done’ and ‘what ought not to be done’ on earth in order to produce happiness, I answer that these questions do not have an answer. There is no way of determining such things…”

                Thomas Merton, The Way Of Chuang Tzu, via Sunbeams (Page 53)

                  “Getting worked up, getting excited, nervously pacing—these intense, pained, and anxious moments show us at our most futile and servile. Staring at the clock, at the ticker, at the next checkout lane over, at the sky—it’s as if we all belong to a religious cult that believes the gods of fate will only give us what we want if we sacrifice our peace of mind.”

                  Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 43)

                  Penor Rinpoche Quote on Dealing With Life Now Rather Than Waiting (and Worrying) About It Later

                    “Life is more difficult if you worry.  It’s better to deal with things as they come up.”

                    Penor Rinpoche, via Turning the Mind Into An Ally (Page 101)

                    Beyond the Quote (134/365)

                    I have noticed in myself over the past few days an increased tendency to use my phone. This tendency, I suppose, could be for many reasons. It could be because of the addictive nature of phones, the increased desire for connection during a time of isolation, it could be a coping strategy to deal with the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, a lackadaisical response to the slower lifestyle (in my case at least), or a combination of all of the above. While it is important to be a little more lenient on yourself during a time of global crisis, what I have also noticed, from careful introspection, is that I have felt my anxiety levels go up in proportion to the increased phone use.

                    Read More »Penor Rinpoche Quote on Dealing With Life Now Rather Than Waiting (and Worrying) About It Later

                    Lori Deschene Quote on How Worrying Is A Waste of Precious Time

                      “If you worry and nothing’s wrong, you’ve wasted precious time over nothing. If you worry and something is wrong, you’ve still wasted precious time.”

                      Lori Deschene, Tiny Buddha

                      Beyond the Quote (131/365)

                      What higher purpose does worrying serve? Let’s assume for a few moments that since we all do it so much that it serves some sort of higher purpose—otherwise, why would we continue doing it so damn much? Worrying is sort of like concerned thinking. When you break those two components down—thinking and concern—they both certainly can be argued as serving us in beneficial ways. So where’s the issue? Let’s dive a little deeper.

                      Read More »Lori Deschene Quote on How Worrying Is A Waste of Precious Time