My current battle right now in my life, aside from the time management skills involved in going back to school, is the battle against worry and stress. I'm the kind of guy who, when faced with a problem, situation, or buying scenario, likes to spend a considerable amount of extra time diagnosing the situation, playing out different end results, and generally trying to go into something with the biggest amount of knowledge I can. The trouble is that when the situations in question involve a negative impact on my life or being, I DO NOT stop thinking about them until it is resolved. and if it is resolved negatively, I think about it far too long after the fact.

My current playing out of such things tends to go as such...
1) Problem occurs
2)Immediate sense of dread/oh shit moment
3)Worry
4) Problem diagnoses while worried
5)Solution mapping, while worried
6)Moments of panic in between 4 and 5
7)Best course of action found, worry if it's the right choice
8)Worry about the ramifications of arriving at this choice
9)Worry about what people will think of the choice, if my friends will hate me and judge me for the choice and if I will eventually be alone and crying in a ditch somewhere
10)Repeat steps 8 and 9 until problem is solved. if problem is solved negatively, move to step 11
11)Play woe-is-me, become Captain Hindsight, worry about all that until an adequate time has passed (depends on severity of problem. months to years.

As you can see, I need to optimize this and cut down on some junk I don't need. In my eyes, the process should go a LOT more like this.
1)Problem occurs
2)Dread/Oh shit moment
3)Worry with a solid "How do I fix/handle this" attitude (makes a difference! this attitude is bred out of positivity!)
4)Problem diagnoses
5)Solution mapping
6)Worry (there will always be worry. the key is separating this from steps 4 and 5)
7)Course of action found, Ask self "Is this the right choice?"
8)If yes, stop giving a fuck and move on to step 9 If no, give more fucks and go back to step 4
9)Move on with your work, if no work then find a friend and go do some fun shit.
10) Solve problem, if problem is solved negatively, move to step 11
11) Who gives a fuck, it's over now. learn and move on

See the difference? The difference is that I need to figure out how to stop worrying and focus on things that actually matter. But that is the issue, isn't it? If it were only that easy, I wouldn't be writing this. I've been successful in this a few times, and it tends to include friends, and simply ignoring my worry and having a good time. Other times I try, but keep secretly worrying about things.

Even now I sit here worried about my job dicking me over when there is nothing I can really do. I have an interview for work study lined up for monday morning regardless of what happens and I should be much more focused on the things that matter, like school and moving. Putting it bluntly, I am obsessed with people liking me, and I'm scared to death of being "That guy". That guy that is irresponsible and calls off work.. that guy that everyone is a little big irritated with. I worry far too much about that. When it comes down to it, I have to start being that guy in this situation. If I lose my job for it, SO BE IT. My priorities lay where they should: getting an education. I'm not naive, I know that I need money to pay my bills and food and such, but I should do what I can, plan as much as I can and then leave it at that. no regrets, no worry.. do it and done. The only difference in the end result is that I'm a happier person and not killing myself over my own stress