What do worries about the world do to you?

There's a lot of worry in the world right now. Optimism isn't high in many places. What happens to you as you react to it? Have you noticed? 

I was thinking about this yesterday, while listening to a webinar with consumer insight firm Ipsos. As usual in a business context, this question focused on consumer confidence: We’re not optimistic about the economy. We’re not spending and in turn, there’s the usual impact on the world's finances.

But what does the prevalent mood do to your life? Emotions are contagious. There are, of course, reasons to be concerned: The tricky job market. The uncertainty fuelled by AI and a million stories of the impact to come, in addition to that already here. A polarization of politics that is seemingly endless. Increasing attacks on various groups of human beings. It’s all enough to send the mind racing and the heart beating faster. 

There’s nothing strange about this, nor does it help to pretend this isn’t reality.

What else is reality, though? The beauty of the sky. The random connection in a chat with a stranger. The delight of a dog running past. The smile of a child. The release brought on by a stretch in the morning. The satisfaction of completing something. 

Taking a moment to really see and be with what’s in front of you, right now, doesn’t change the state of the world. But it can ground you, and change the way you look at what is happening. Stepping away from the tension and racing thoughts of worry releases your mind. You can start looking at things more clearly. Without that stress, it's easier to consider what steps you’d like to take and where you’d like to focus. What’s important to you? What’s within your power to direct your efforts towards? 

There are lots of things outside your control, but there’s no need to make your own reactions one of them. Notice when stress is rising and practice refocusing to the now, to retune and think more clearly. It’ll take work and repeated effort, especially to start with, but the rewards are significant. 

How can you focus on the here-and-now today?

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ps - The fluffy delight in this photo never fails to bring me to the present, whenever I have a chance to see him. He's wonderful!