Do you ever feel overwhelmed, so that even the simplest tasks seem monumental? Do you put things off because they seem too difficult? Do you tell yourself you will never get what you really want out of life?

A client of mine recently told me a story about a small home repair that, to her, seemed monumental. Her front door knob was broken and needed fixing. Every time she went through the door she grabbed a screw driver, placed it in the broken knob and turned it to open the door so she could leave her house and go about her day. Her brain had created a story about, not only the presumed difficulty of the repair, but that it would be quite expensive.

She imagined she would have to hire a handy man, and take time off from work to be there for the repair. Money was very tight, so she was quite upset that she would have to spend money she didn't have as well as lose money by having to take time off work. She delayed and delayed the project, so that every time she had to leave her house, the 'door knob repair movie' started playing in her head, in color and with rolling credits. You can imagine how high her stress level was before she even started her car.

One day she said the heck with it, took the broken door knob parts to Stadium Hardware and for 27 cents got the needed parts with instructions from the helpful hardware guy. She went home and in a short time fixed the door knob. My client looked at me and said, "Chris all it took was 27 cents and I have lived with this stress and anxiety for a long time."

We looked at each other and began to laugh with delight about her discovery of the key for a simpler less stressful life. She turned a four-step process of getting out of her house into a one-step process. She tamed her anxiety gremlins, putting them in storage. She simplified her life for a mere 27 cents. We discussed the value of living life the 27-cent way. My client vowed to live her life the 27-cent way from now on. She is going to put post-it notes that say 27 cents where she can see them throughout her day to remind her of this change.

What changes can you make to live your life the 27 cent way? Banish your anxiety gremlins by identifying the fear behind the worry, centering yourself with deep breathing exercises and taking action. If you want a movie running in your head, I say make it a joyous peaceful one rather than an action packed horror movie.

Chris writes a blog and has a website. You can reach her at 734-669-7202 or by e-mail.