Stress is not only about what happens to us. It is also about what our mind does with what happens. A problem can enter your thoughts and then grow as you replay it, imagine worse outcomes, and focus on everything that might go wrong. You cannot always choose the first thought that enters your mind, but you can often choose which thought gets your attention next. That is the useful idea behind this quote.
William James wrote extensively about attention. In The Principles of Psychology in 1890, he described attention as selecting one thing from several possible objects or trains of thought. In other words, your mind cannot focus equally on everything at once. What you repeatedly attend to helps shape your experience. That does not mean pretending a problem does not exist. It means deciding whether your attention is helping you deal with reality or simply feeding the stress.
Stress or anxiety can sometimes be a cue that you need to slow down and look more carefully at what you are doing. Not every stressful feeling is an ethical problem, but when the tension comes from a difficult choice, conflicting duties, possible harm, or uncertainty about what is fair, go deeper. Listen to the guidance around you. Clarify what is actually your responsibility. Think through your intent, likely results, and who may be affected. Sometimes the stress is your mind telling you that the easy answer is not enough.
So, when stress starts taking over, take control of what you can. Notice the thought. Ask whether it is useful, accurate, and actionable. If it is, deal with it. If it is just another lap around the same worry, choose another thought and move your attention there. You may not control every thought that appears, but you can get better at deciding which ones deserve your time.
