By Patricia Frame

1. Stop worrying about the things you cannot control. Easier said than done – but you cannot now stop the war, stop the terror attacks it is likely to generate, or do much about our relations with the rest of the world in the short-term. So, stop yourself from thinking about all that.

2. Replace those fears with positive thoughts. Consciously try to focus at least a couple of times a day on what is good in your life…your family, your work, your garden, whatever works for you. I am looking forward to a writing conference in NYC, a surprise party for an old friend's 65th birthday, taking my 8-year-old nephew to his first Smithsonian summer camp.

3. Skip the news on your PC, watch less TV news, turn off your radio. The news is really limited so don't reinforce your fears by reading/listening to it over and over.

4. Realize that much of what you hear about 'terror' weapons – dirty bombs, biological and chemical weapons – is not worth your worry. They call them terror weapons for a reason – most of us are frightened by the concepts, we do not understand them, and we react dramatically to them. Yes, you would be in trouble if you are at the center of such a weapon's release point. Otherwise, they are really not that effective. It has been years since I went through NBC (nuke, bio, chem) weapons training but the basics are the same. Get indoors, take off your exposed clothes, shower yourself off, turn off your heat/AC and close the vents, close your windows and curtains too. Yes, the advice to have a bottled water supply is worthwhile – mostly because our governments are likely to fear contamination and temporarily shut down such systems. If you want to plastic and duct tape a room, go ahead if it makes you feel better. Me, I cannot be bothered, frankly. Gas masks and such are a waste – you need to have sensors with info on what exactly is released at the time it is, get them on literally within seconds, have the right type with the right filters for the specific threat, and keep them on until the sensors say the threat is over.

5. Have a small plan. If you want to, help your organization develop and communicate an emergency plan; carry a flashlight in your purse; talk to your family about their concerns and how to deal with them. Have a contact plan for emergencies. The standard advice about an out-of-area emergency number is probably especially useful if you carry a cell phone, so get an agreement that everyone will call Aunt Mary in Montana. Be really radical and recognize that your adult family members will handle themselves ok, so maybe all that calling is only going to raise everyone's fears unless you set up some standards about why/when.

6. Give yourself a little comfort – have more of your favorite foods, hug your family and friends, treat yourself to something you love, read that nonwork-related book. I am going to go to one of the practice sessions at the MCI center this weekend for next week's World Figure Skating Championships.

And finally: Now, yes immediately, turn up your speakers a little and look at this: http://www.qnet.com/~pontius/smile/smilelmp_1%5b1%5d.htm.

Take care of yourselves first, then those you love.

Patricia Frame writes the Jobseekers column for DC Web Women.