Men plan and God laughs.  My grandfather taught me that when I was but a tot and it is the truest of truisms.  How often have all of us laid awake at night worried about this or that? I know that I have and in all the times that I have fallen into that trap, I can't think of one time where it affected the outcome of whatever I was worrying about.

I mean I have laid there worrying about my children, and it all works out on its own.  And I have laid there worrying about business, and it all works out anyway.  Heck, I have laid there worrying about so many silly things that I am ashamed to mention it!  And yet the lesson is clear; worry does not affect outcome, ever.

Also, have you ever noticed how much worse things seem at 2 am?  And then how much clearer they seem in the bright light of day?  Somehow (for me at least) daytime is full of possibilities and nighttime is full of, well, nightmares.  I don't know why this is, as nothing at night is any different from what is there during the day, but the perspective changes for me at least.

I share this with you because I get a lot of emails every day from subscribers who are in real pain and worried sick.  I can practically see the worry they are experiencing and the exhaustion they feel at trying to resolve their problems.  It is darn near impossible to make clear decisions when you are totally beaten down, tired, and weighed down by shame.  I know that this is easier said than done, but you have to let it go and realize that, like my grandfather said, Men Plan and God laughs.  The outcome of our troubles will come worry or not and so why make yourself sick?

My little tip for how I deal with this, the middle of the night worries, is to get out of bed as laying there makes your bed a habitual place of worry and that is a bad pattern.  Go out to your living or family room, get a book or turn on the TV, and get out of your head until exhaustion sets back in and then return to bed.  Plus, a glass of warm milk and a banana (a natural sedative) to go along with it will calm you.  What you don't want to do is become dependent on drugs or alcohol, even over the counter sleep aids, as this is just putting a band aid on it and will lead to the need for more and more.  Finally, and this is a little New Age I know but it really works, consider going to a local business, health club, or YMCA and taking Yoga. It is all about getting out of your head, into your body, breathing and relaxing, and gaining control over your stress.  It really works and has been around of thousands of years for a good reason!

Victory over your problems starts with protecting your health and well-being.  Achieve that and the rest will fall into place, I promise.