Staying away from things that upset me:

Like cable news commentary that I have been dipping into the last week or so. Like trying to call back the school system that has ignored my phone call re returning to work in the fall. Like dealing with an issue w/a family member rather than letting the situation cool down.

I can be obsessive and do anything to reduce anxiety, sometimes at my own peril. I am much better now at letting go, but I still struggle w/this problem.

On the other hand, I do not want to avoid dealing w/something that needs resolution just because I fear the outcome. It is sometimes a tough call, which direction to go in.

I have had to learn the hard way sometimes that--to borrow the cliche--life is NOT a bowl of cherries. There are many hard problems to deal with. It is far from smooth sailing, at least intermittently.

I used to live a crisis-oriented life, maybe addicted to crisis. I have left that behind. I enjoy stability, the middle-class lifestyle, if you will. I grew up in a poor circumstances that that was more chaotic.

But life is not easy for anyone. Even the rich. or especially the rich, if they become addicted to amassing more more and lording it over others. When you inflict harm on others, you ultimately inflict harm on yourself.

I have found that creativity is decimated when you become paralyzed by anxiety and worry. So i try to avoid that, since creativity leads me down a positive pathway, and if I lose the creative edge, I can be prone to depression.

Anyone identify?