Many of us at some point in our lives have heard the tale of Chicken Little.

The story begins with Chicken Little having a perfectly normal day minding his own business when suddenly an acorn falls on his head. Chicken Little instantly perceives that the sky must be falling, the world is ending and that he must inform the king of the coming apocalypse.

Along his journey he meets his friends, Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey who all immediately accept his claim of the worldwide collapse and band together until they meet Foxy Loxy who views the nervous bunch as dinner and pulls them into his cave, never to be heard of again. Though the tale has warned countless people around the world to be brave, and to inquire further about what is actually happening in their lives, human beings tend to automatically give in to each others anxiety, letting fear and dread perpetuate our minds and those around us. Though anxiety can sometimes serve a purpose to keep us safe and more alert, occasionally it shows up at a time when it does not provide any benefit to us, and only makes one uneasy and uncomfortable.

Anxiety also has a distinct way of becoming rapidly contagious, and if we choose to be unconscious to it, we might perceive a situation as shocking, harmful, or even dangerous when in some instances that might not actually be the case.

If Chicken Little had chosen to be more mindful about what had actually happened, perhaps his cataclysmic thought process might have never occurred. He could have taken a moment to look up, notice the tree above his head, and the acorn by his side. He would have then known that the sky was not falling, the world was not ending, and he had nothing more to show for it but a small bump on his head.

Its also possible that if Chicken Little’s friends had not instantly given into his anxious claim they might have spared themselves from further panic and becoming Foxy Loxy’s dinner.  Anxiety inducing situations will inevitably occur throughout our lives, but we do have a choice to whether or not we will give in to our own or others angst.

So whats the moral of this more mindful fairy tale?

If you find yourself in an anxiety provoking situation….

1. Take a moment and breathe
2. Check the facts
3. Make a choice, because you have one.

Try not to be a Chicken Little.  The sky isn’t always falling.