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We deal with uncertainty more than we realize. Whether you’re cheering for your favorite athlete, coaching your kid’s team, rooting for your company’s stock performance, or begging the protagonist not to go into the basement (when will they learn?), you’re subconsciously making a powerful choice: you’re hoping.

Research shows that choosing hope not only helps your physical well-being and mental performance, but it’s a strategy for overall longevity.

The world is complex — and growing more so (cough U.S. elections cough) — and the only true constant is change. If change is inevitable, then what we can control is how we respond: how we manage our minds and approach whatever life throws at us, at work, in life, and everywhere in between.

As leaders in our lives and in our families, it’s natural to strategize for the future. But there’s a difference between strategizing and worrying, captured beautifully by one of my favorite quotes from Corrie Ten Boom:

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”

Good News: There are physical ways to manage worry. A specific part of our brain, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), is associated with negative emotions, rumination, and worry.

Better News: The VLPFC responds incredibly well to physical activity. As I wrote for the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory at Harvard, engaging in physical activity (particularly cardio) “flushes out” the VLPFC, reducing space for negative rumination and opening up mental capacity for problem-solving and future-focused thinking.

In short, hope is a strategy for creating positive change. When life’s storms come, we are far from powerless. We can literally move ourselves forward, taking a positive step for ourselves, our loved ones, and our shared future.

The challenges of life are inevitable, but living in fear and worry  is no way to live.

So, let’s choose hope. Below is a strategy to harness positivity as a tool for change.

One Simple Thing:

Walk (or work out) your way out of worrying

Get in the habit of asking yourself, “Am I strategizing or am I worrying?” If it’s the latter — literally get up and take a walk or do a quick workout (Teaser: Dilagence content coming soon).

Pro Tip: 1 Min to go in the newsletter. Read the rest on a walk or during a wallsit. 

Dilagence on the Move 

Dilagence was highlighted in the Business of Fashion. In the article, we discussed how we’re enabling companies to treat wellbeing as a strategic investment in performance.  

ICYMI: Dilagence was recently featured in Forbes and I shared my top tips for protecting your mental health withWomen’s Fitness.

Dose of Dilan

What I Learned from My Optometrist:

1) Blue light glasses do little to reduce eye strain, but they can help maintain your circadian rhythm if you’re working late at night. And that’s how Warby Parker got my money this week.

2) I somehow have slightly better than 20/20 vision after years of staring at screens.

What I’m Reading: 

Jen Psaki’s book and her lessons on how to communicate effectively and manage a bully (hers was The Kremlin. Casual). 

How I’m Using My Voice: 

 I voted early (it took 10 minutes). In the U.S. and still need to make a voting plan? Check out iwillvote.com for your polling place.

How I’m Staying Sane: 

I’m not looking at the polls.

Thanks for reading. Follow me on LinkedIn for more health hacks and habits to boost your performance. Can you think of at least one person who could benefit from this newsletter? Help the Dilagence community to grow by inviting them to subscribe here.