Do you remember Y2K when fear of the computer counting system triggered international anxiety before the calendar rolled into 2000? Fear raised its illogical head during other moments in history also: In 1825, some believed riding a train would rip a body apart; in the late 1800s, telephones carried the fear of people losing their privacy and using it to communicate with the dead; as late as the 1940s fear and conspiracy theories ran amok with the creation of radios and televisions; the 1990s brought us computer phobia. Today, I have no fear of my most valued writing tool, but there are times when I’m frustrated and want to throw it out a window.

People of all generations wrap fear around many things. History proves fear is often unwarranted. Worry is a great-uncle to fear. Like fear, most of what we worry about seldom happens.

Fear and worry lead to anxiety and negatively affect mental wellness.

One way to control fear and worry is to increase your time spent in the present moment. I’m a klutz and can fall on a smooth, dry sidewalk. If I focus on my feet with every step, I don’t fall. I’m concentrating on what I’m doing and not on yesterday or what I’ll do when I finish my walk. If I stay connected to my feet, I don’t worry about falling.

Do you ever have trouble sleeping? Lack of sleep also negatively affects our mental wellness. My mind runs around in a bad neighborhood when I can’t sleep. If I shift my consciousness to the texture of the sheets, my breathing, the weight of the blankets, and the pillow under my head, there is no fear or worry, only the present moment. If I stay in that space, I fall asleep because the bad neighborhood has faded away. It takes discipline and practice not to run back to the fearful and worrisome thoughts—the culprits responsible for our tossing and turning.

Being conscious of what we see, smell, taste, touch, and hear in each moment reduces anxiety caused by fear and worry.

I make it sound easy, but it isn’t.

Disciplining ourselves long enough to create lasting change is a challenge but possible. Remember the quote by Isabelle Rae, “If something’s worth having, it’s worth working for.” If you care about your mental wellness, reducing fear and worry is one of those somethings.

2022 is here. Don’t stress about what it will bring. Increase minutes each day where you focus on your body, and the New Year will do what it does just as it would if you were stewing and stirring. If you put thoughts aside and enjoy every right now, 2022 will find you sharing more smiles with yourself and others.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

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