I’ve had my share of highs and lows. I make right decisions and wrong decisions as I try, sometimes in vain, to get back up. But progress seems to occur out of the blue — with those little miracles that keep helping me feel positive about what the next day brings. I learn to look forward to those small steps that take me higher. There’s only so much you can do. Things just work out, even if a little bit at a time, when you learn to turn it over and understand there is more order in the world than we will ever know.

Work-related issues or financial difficulties can seem like enormous barriers to happiness at times. Stress and anxiety trigger a cycle that results in damage to your mental, emotional and physical well-being. The worry that surrounds you during these times can produce a negative impact on your health. Research shows that stress not only hinders your body’s immune system, but also contributes to heart disease risks. Mental stress may increase harmful cholesterol levels, according to a study reported in the November 2005 issue of the American Psychological Association’s “Health Psychology.”

A healthy diet and regular physical activity help avoid those unwanted effects of stress — but so do turning it over, letting it go or putting God in the driver’s seat, however you wish to describe it. It might all come down to accepting change and following the current, instead of fighting it.

“If we can learn to tap into our innate wisdom and intuition we will gradually become able to discern the difference between our fears based on insecurities versus our soul trying to steer us into the flow of least resistance,” notes Sandra Carrington-Smith in Housekeeping for the Soul: A Practical Guide to Restoring Your Inner Sanctuary. Change might produce fears, but accepting change provides opportunities for new discoveries about your abilities and strengths. Turn it over, and don’t be surprised by the little miracles.