I’m probably one of the most laid back guys out there. That’s not to say I don’t normally have an opinion, everyone knows I do. BUT, I’m usually pretty comfortable going with the flow.

Many of us today are super rigid and not very good at letting go of the little things that usually don’t go our way. I think one of the best pieces of advice I can give (and I’m sure someone has said this before me, but I’m not sure who) is that there is no need for us to worry about things that we have absolutely no way of affecting. . we changed. If you can’t change circumstances or affect an inevitable outcome in a given situation, there’s no point in worrying about it. Constant worry is less than 2 clicks away from depression, and is directly related to a generally pessimistic outlook on life; It is also, in my opinion, a cause of depression.

Worrying about things like the weather, whether or not your man is president, your natural ability in sports, whether your team will win the Superbowl, or anything else that is largely outside of your sphere of influence is unhealthy and, frankly, it’s nonsense. . That’s not to say you shouldn’t appreciate the seriousness of given situations and work to affect change, but if you do, let go of the worrying part of the process and just focus on how you’re bringing positivity to a negative issue.

In addition to not worrying about the things you can’t change, do what you can to not worry about the little things.

My wife and I are best friends, but we don’t always agree, and we have little things that bother us about each other (just like any friendship or marriage). If we focus on those things or give them too much credibility, we would be in a perpetual state of argument and negativity, ultimately always focusing on the bad characteristics of others instead of the good ones. And truth be told, (unfortunately) the negative always seems to make a lot more noise than the good.

So we’ve come up with a remedy that helps us overcome the desire to address all the little things that bother us about each other. It’s called the 3-day test.

It is easy. For any problem that bothers us, we ask the question: “Will this matter in 3 days?” If the answer is no, then it is probably a silly problem that we should just put aside and forget about. If we think a particular issue will matter in three days, then we give it more credibility and approach each other on the issue. What we have found in our friendship and marriage, and what I hope you find too, is that the overwhelming majority of problems that arise in our relationship usually don’t pass the 3-day test.

Letting go of things that don’t really matter not only helps you stay optimistic, but also allows you to go with the flow of things. in your work In your relationships. At home. Whatever. Whenever. And, the less stress there is in your life, the less likely you are to fall into depression, or if you’re already depressed, the easier it is to get out.

Make a conscious decision right now to avoid worrying about the things you can’t change, and start applying the 3-Day Test to the things that make you laugh or upset you. I’m sure you will see your stress levels drop, your happiness increase, and any depression dissipate. This is just one more way to beat depression.