I just don't care. It might be the cashews.

I read somewhere that a handful of cashews delivers about the same dose of serotonin as a Prozac.

Of course, I had to try this.

Last week I snacked on cashews every day at work, and strangely, I did have a surprisingly sunny outlook on things. I did not have cashews at home, and I was feeling pretty depressed over the weekend.

Coincidence?

Could the secret to happiness be... cashews? If it is, it figures it would be something as stupidly simple as nuts. I really don't like cashews, either. To me, they leave an aftertaste that is somewhat like stale vomit from the night before.

So far my attitude towards everything at work this week has been "I don't care." When my coworkers told me my boss was poking through my desk while I was on break, I just shrugged. When people have tried to give me a hard time on the phone, my lackluster tone of voice seems to have clearly sent the message "This person doesn't give a fuck, I'm not going to get anywhere with this automaton" and they give up trying to be a jerk.

It's totally working. I feel much less stressed. I've been able to focus on things that are important to me, instead of worrying about every little nuanced detail of my existence.

For a person whose main difficulty in life is anxiety, adopting an "I don't care" attitude is surprisingly liberating. I mean, you can't take it too far. You have to still care that your bills are paid and your pets are fed, stuff like that. But in dealing with others, or thinking about abstract life issues, or screwing up the courage to try something new, going in thinking "I just don't give a shit" is super helpful. It alleviates a lot of worry. It's sort of like "Just Do It" for perfectionists.