Take a Deep Breath...Nothing is Really Wrong

I'm in search of ways to trick myself into being more motivated and positive. I've been paying attention to the way that life events, media and cultural events make me feel in an effort to make my life a place where I can feel secure and encouraged. I'm starting to worry that this is not exactly the right way to go about things.
Some basic assumptions I made and my reactions to them:
1. Anxiety has the power to cripple me. Therefore, eliminating all possible sources of anxiety should make me feel more free and comfortable and by extension, more like myself.
PROBLEM: As a person prone to anxiety, eliminating major sources of anxiety causes me to focus on smaller and smaller sources of anxiety.
RESULT: Life becomes less interesting when you remove many of the tension-causing but rewarding elements...and anxiety level remains the same. Small non-problems swell to seem like life or death issues.
2. A lack of free time leaves few opportunities to play around creatively. Must create more free time.
PROBLEM: Inspiration cannot necessarily be scheduled. Free time must be structured.
RESULT: Giving myself a whole afternoon without structure to do whatever I want usually ends up with me smoking too much and listening to a lot of cbc radio one.
3. Spending too much time in crowded places or watching television is exhausting and depressing.
PROBLEM: Hiding from the media, from fashion, from all the wonderfully frightening parts of people takes away a dimension of life that inspires criticism, wonder and curiosity.
RESULT: Ideas stagnate as they are recycled in a closed environment. They are so protected that they become like religion or ideology, and are not questioned or tasted as regularly as they ought to be.
4. Exposure to people with very strong ideas or personalities makes me lose sight of who I am.
PROBLEM: Part of the effort of getting to know myself better must involve being challenged by others, having the opportunity to decide and defend my position. Also, I never really go anywhere. I am always me.
RESULT: In a panic, I strive to protect what I believe to be the core of who I am, holding it so close to myself that it suffocates.

These are just some of the wonderful, seemingly logical mistakes I regularly make.
Welcome to self help 101.
Every day from now on I will look in the mirror and remind myself that I have a wonderful life, and that I should be thankful that nothing is actually wrong.

love

liz