But where does this stress originate, and how do we deal with it?

This post originally appeared onZen Habits.

These are all amazing, and you should do them.

However, Im more interested in getting at the root of stress.

Dig down, ferret out the cause, and work with that directly, rather than treating the symptoms.

Only once you deal with the cause of stress can you truly be a master of it.

Lets take the uncertainty about the job.

So reality is not matching our ideal (a stable job), and that causes us stress.

We dont like the present situation, and this not wanting uncertainty is causing us to stress out.

Unfortunately, this happens all day long, every day.

Our ideals about reality are constantly not being met, and so we stress out.

It becomes a health problem.

So whats the way to deal with this?

Lets take a look.

The ideals come up, unbidden, in our active and ever hopeful minds.

Lets look at these in turn.

First, you have tonotice the stress.

Next, you have to mindfullynotice your attachmentto the ideal.

Its probably something that is more secure, stable, comfortable, controlled than what youre currently experiencing.

That would feel much more secure, stable, comfortable to you.

Unfortunately, comfort and control and security arent what life provides us.

It mostly provides us the very oppositesomething chaotic, unpredictable, uncomfortable, unstable.

And we can be upset by this, or we can embrace it.

We can hate all of this about life, or we can love it.

This is a choice.

Finally, we canloosen our attachmentto this expectation or ideal.

We can say, This ideal is not helping me.

Clinging to wanting things this way is actually harming me.

I hereby open myself to many more possibilities.

Its about learning to love everything, shit and all.

Its about being curious about life, about others, instead of judging life and other people as bad.

And then its about working from this place of peace.

Have too much to do?

Pick one task, and do your best with it.

Have an annoying co-worker?

Worried about losing your job?

Many people wont like this solution, because it means that they dont get the ideals they want.

Most of us want to control life to be the way we want.

And thats fine, if it works for you.

Its about clearing the clutter so we can focus on whats important, create something amazing, find happiness.

My name is Leo Babauta.

Image byAniwhite(Shutterstock).