It’s Sunday evening. Rena sits at the kitchen table, sorting through her bills. “Why is the electricity bill so high this year?” she wonders.
As soon as she pays it, her mind jumps to tomorrow’s meeting and that difficult client who has been draining her energy for weeks. She gets up, opens the fridge, grabs some ice cream, and sinks onto the sofa. Her eyes drift to the news: war, economic uncertainty, new reports on artificial intelligence.
Will her job still be needed in a few years?
What if the stock market drops again?
A cough from the next room interrupts her thoughts. Her son Jamin has been staring at a screen for hours. She recently read that mental health issues among teenagers are increasing due to excessive screen time.
It’s getting late. Rena is tired, but her thoughts keep circling. She feels as if she’s barely keeping her head above water. On social media, everyone else seems to be managing life effortlessly. Only she can’t seem to find the peace she longs for.
Have you ever met someone whose situation genuinely improved because they worried constantly? Have you ever seen someone think their way into a better life simply by ruminating? I haven’t.
Our brain tries to deal with uncertainty by seeking control. But instead of finding solutions, it repeats the same thoughts again and again. The roots of worry are complex, yet very often, worrying is simply a habit.
My friend Leila almost never worries. She is remarkably calm and likes to say, “It’ll work out. It’s going to be fine.” When I asked her how she manages to move through life with such ease, she paused and said it was probably related to her upbringing. Growing up in Latin America, she learned early on to approach life with more lightness. Many people around her had the same attitude. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone in South America, but Leila adopted this mindset as a child.
Many of us, on the other hand, have developed the habit of worrying— whether because we don’t process negative emotions well or because worrying makes us feel as if we’re doing something productive. But that’s an illusion. Worrying is like driving with the handbrake on: you want to move forward, but something holds you back. When the brake releases, inner lightness returns and your heart is filled with peace.
Here is a simple exercise that will help you feel immediate relief and step out of powerlessness:
Take a sheet of paper and write down all your current worries. Everything that weighs on you—big or small.
Once your list is complete, continue with these steps: Which of these concerns relate specifically to today? Circle them. Think about what you can do today, and ask God for wisdom.
All other worries—those connected to the past or the future—can be released for now. You can return to them later if needed.
Repeat this exercise daily. This ensures that you continue addressing what truly matters without being overwhelmed by everything at once. This new habit will give you clarity and a sense of agency. You focus on what you can influence and entrust the rest to God.
The likelihood that your fears will actually come true is surprisingly small. Think about it: How many of your past worries ever became reality? The anxiety about your summer vacation, insecurity about your new haircut, that embarrassing mistake in an email—how many of these fears truly mattered in the end? Did they improve your life? Or did they simply steal your peace?
Living in the present moment is one of the most powerful habits for releasing worry long-term. When you focus on today and its challenges, you live squarely within God’s will—and therefore in His peace.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:34 (NLT)
Imagine your life as a truck. It can only carry a certain amount. If it’s overloaded, it breaks down. We’re like that too: we’re not designed to carry tomorrow’s worries. Today is like a defined loading area with a clear beginning and end. Your strength is meant for this day. Everything beyond that is an unnecessary burden. Peace comes when you load your “daily truck” only with what belongs to today. No more. No less.
“This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 (NLT)
Jesus teaches us to live one day at a time—not in weekly segments, but in the healthy, manageable unit of a single day:
“Give us today our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
Why a single day? Because our bodies and our lives operate in daily rhythms: sleeping, eating, working, resting. All in 24-hour cycles. For this very window of time, we receive exactly what we need.
When you focus on today, you’ll notice your strength returning. The past loosens its grip, the future loses its pressure, and something quiet awakens within you. Deep, lasting peace begins to grow.
This exercise comes from my German book „Inner peace in a restless world“, which is currently available only in the German-speaking world. I may translate it into English at a later time.
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