An image of a person in a grey sweatshirt.

When I was a teenager, I became very fond of a particular meditation: “May I have serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Take a few slow, deep breaths. Then, think about something, perhaps an ongoing challenge or issue, that has caused you stress or frustration. Take your time.

Find a piece of paper to write on. What can you do to make things better? What do you have the power to change? Write your response on the piece of paper.

Now, find another piece of paper. What can you not control for now? How does this make you feel? Take some slow, deep breaths, allowing yourself to feel these challenging emotions.

Take this piece of paper and fold it up into a small square. Set it aside for now, maybe in a backpack pocket or in a drawer.

Next time you find this piece of paper, things might be a little better, or a lot better. Remember: Things can and do change over time, and sometimes, even situations we can’t control do get better.

Now, focus on what you can change. Find that first piece of paper, and choose something small and easy that you can try to make things better, for yourself or someone else. In small letters, write down just one small thing that you would like to do. No matter how hard things get, there are always little ways to make things better, bit by bit.

This prompt was written by Grace Ferber, a Words Alive volunteer.