Calm the F*ck Down: How to Control What You Can and Accept What You Can't So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life

“You can't stop worrying? Fine, worry away. But make it count for something.”

“To survive and thrive in these moments, you need to ACKNOWLEDGE what’s happened, ACCEPT the parts you can’t control, and ADDRESS the parts you can.”

“A what-if exists in your imagination; only when it becomes real is it a problem you can acknowledge, accept, and address.”

“To recap: When it comes to outlying, imminent, or total shitstorms, how do you prepare? • Make like a weatherperson and forecast outcomes based on all available data. • Ask yourself not only How likely is this to happen to me? but also How soon? • And before you spend your freakout funds, ask yourself the One Question to Rule Them All: Can I control it?”

“Once you’ve ACKNOWLEDGED the problem, you begin to let go of your worries about said problem by ACCEPTING the things you can’t control”

“you’re not in control of anyone else’s health or related decision-making.”

“Now you try, with that same list of what-ifs you made here and that you already sorted by category. Use these questions as your guide: • Can I control it? • If not, can I accept that reality, stop worrying about it, and conserve freakout funds? • If I can’t stop worrying about it, can I convert freakout funds to productive, helpful, effective worrying that will prevent or mitigate it?”