The Discipline of Later

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions, not outside.” -Marcus Aurelius Today, practice the art of postponing worry. When anxiety begins to rise, that familiar quickening of thoughts, the tightening in your chest, pause and tell yourself, “Not now.” Give your mind a specific time later in the day to return to the concern if it still feels important. Then, for now, return your attention to what’s right in front of you. Focus on your breath, your work, your senses. You’ll often find that when the designated time arrives, the worry has softened, lost urgency, or disappeared altogether. This practice isn’t about avoidance; it’s about reclaiming your power of choice. Worry feeds on immediacy, on the belief that it demands your full attention right now. By postponing it, you create distance, a gap wide enough for reason, calm, and clarity to enter. Each time you delay anxiety’s pull, you train your mind to respond instead of react. At the end of the day, reflect on what happened when you told your worry to wait. Did the problem change, or did you? Remember, peace is not found in the absence of challenge, but in the presence of perspective.