Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th. Right now, millions of people are feeling more anxious than usual. Some are avoiding black cats, others won't walk under ladders, and a surprising number won't even leave the house.

There's even a clinical term for it: paraskevidekatriaphobia (yes, that's real). Here's the thing though, the date can't hurt you. But believing it can? That absolutely will damage your health. When you believe something bad might happen, your body responds as if it's actually happening. Your cortisol spikes. Your heart rate increases. Your digestion slows. Your immune system takes a hit. All because of a number and a day of the week.

Research from the University of Pennsylvania found that regions with higher negative emotional expression showed higher rates of heart disease than smoking or high blood pressure would predict.

Friday the 13th is essentially a scheduled, society-wide stress event we've all agreed to participate in. And stress isn't just emotional, it's a full-body metabolic event. Your body dumps glucose into your bloodstream, diverts resources away from healing, triggers inflammation, and disrupts your sleep. Dr Shan, who I've worked with for years, puts it simply: "Stress may well be the fundamental basis of most, if not all, diseases."

The irony is breathtaking. The superstition can't hurt you, but believing in it can. You're literally creating real biological consequences from an imaginary threat.

In Bhutan, I learned that dwelling on the past breeds depression, obsessing over the future creates anxiety, but anchoring yourself in the present fosters contentment.

Friday the 13th is future-focused anxiety over something that has zero biological basis.

Your action today: Reclaim your power. Today is just another collection of 24 hours with the same opportunities as yesterday. The only difference is the story you're telling yourself. Choose to paddle your own canoe today, regardless of what the calendar says.