Lets pretend for a moment that you are a giraffe.

You live on the grasslands of the African savannah.

You have a neck that is 7 feet long (2.1 meters).

This post originally appeared onJames Clears blog.

But its not just your neck and their cameras that separates you from the humans.

When you are hungry, you walk over and munch on a tree.

When a storm rolls across the plains, you take shelter under the brush.

When you spot a lion stalking you and your friends, you run away.

You live in what researchers call anImmediate Return Environmentbecause your actions deliver immediate benefits.

Your life is strongly oriented toward the present moment.

Unlike the giraffe, humans live in what researchers call aDelayed Return Environment.

Most of the choices you make today will not benefit you immediately.

If you do a good job at work today, youll get a paycheck in a few weeks.

If you save money now, youll have enough for retirement later.

Many aspects of modern society are designed to delay rewards until some point in the future.

This is true of our problems as well.

It would be cool to work as a park ranger and see giraffes every day.

Speaking of work, is it time for a career change?

Am I really doing the work I was meant to do?

Should I change jobs?

Unfortunately, living in a Delayed Return Environment tends to lead to chronic stress and anxiety for humans.

Because your brain wasnt designed to solve the problems of a Delayed Return Environment.

Theearliest remainsof modern humansknown asHomo sapiens sapiensare approximately 200,000 years old.

These were the first humans to have a brain relatively similar to yours.

Compared to the age of the brain, modern society is incredibly new.

The pace of change has increased exponentially compared to prehistoric times.

Nearly everything that makes up your daily life has been created in a very small window of time.

A lot can happen in 100 years.

From the perspective of evolution, however, 100 years is nothing.

This is how your brain evolved to use worry, anxiety, and stress.

Anxiety was an emotion that helped protect humans in an Immediate Return Environment.

It was built for solving short-term, acute problems.

There was no such thing as chronic stress because there arent really chronic problems in an Immediate Return Environment.

Wild animals rarely experience chronic stress.

And it doesnt appear to be tied in knots the way that many people are.

When you live in an Immediate Return Environment, you only have to worry about acute stressors.

Once the threat is gone, the anxiety subsides.

Today we face different problems.

Will I have enough money to pay the bills next month?

Will I get the promotion at work or remain stuck in my current job?

Will I repair my broken relationship?

Problems in a Delayed Return Environment can rarely be solvedright nowin the present moment.

There is no guarantee that working hard in school will get you a job.

There is no promise that investments will go up in the future.

There is no assurance that going on a date will land you a soulmate.

Living in a Delayed Return Environment means you are surrounded by uncertainty.

So what can you do?

How can you thrive in a Delayed Return Environment that creates so much stress and anxiety?

The first thing you could do ismeasure something.

The act of measurement takes an unknown quantity and makes it known.

When you measure something, you immediately become more certain about the situation.

Animals are constantly getting feedback about the things that cause them stress.

As a result, they actually know whether or not they should feel stressed.

Without measurement you have no feedback.

Instead of worrying about living longer, worry about taking a walk each day.

Instead of worrying about losing enough weight for the wedding, worry about cooking a healthy dinner tonight.

Lifting.I experienced a huge shift in well-being when I learned to fall in love with exercise.

Reading.Last year, I postedmy public reading listand began reading20 pages per day.

Our brains didnt evolve in a Delayed Return Environment, but thats where we find ourselves today.

Thousands of people have attended his online seminars onHabits,Willpower, andProcrastination.

Image byiluistratorandApostrophe(Shutterstock).