Focus on the Internal rather than the External
“If you are painted by external things, it is not that they disturb you, but your own judgement of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgement now” Marcus Aurelius
Our lives are moving very rapidly these days and constantly are we bombarded with information that we must interpret. Some of them may be pleasant to us, while others may not. This poses the question on whether we are slaves to what we are exposes to or if we can regulate and control those external factors.
If we really think about it, we have absolutely no control of our environment. It is constantly changing and trying to take us down. Nature has no interest in our wellbeing. That doesn't mean that it is bad, but rather that it is indifferent. Does that mean that the only choice is to succumb and accept our fate?
To answer this question, it might be useful to make a mindset shift. Rather than looking outside, we may observe the situation from within. We may observe that our consciousness can have a much bigger influence on our reaction than we might believe. Rather than thinking that the source of our anger or frustration is the result of a certain event, it might simply be our interpretation of the situation. This is equally true for positive things. Let's assume that someone gave you a present for your birthday. Once you see what's inside, you might be met with disappointment while another person could be filled with joy from the exact same present. You might have missed the train one day, and rather than thinking that you can simply take the next train arriving in five minutes, you let that negative thought consume your mind and ruin the rest of your day.
In the end you are in control about how you feel in any given moment. Be in control of your internal struggles and you will be able to face the world with a better outlook.