11/10/2024
Worry Less Today
1. Change your focus
When I would worry, my mother would always tell me to take a walk or do something different from what I was doing at the time, but foolish old me ignored her advice. It was only when I saw my friend intentionally switch his setting and change his focus to help himself that I understood why she asked me to do the same thing.
Take a stroll, engage in deep breathing exercises, chat with a friend, watch a movie, work out, sing along to music—do anything but lie down or sit still in the hopes that worrying more will make you worry less.
“My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice.”
― Newt Scamander
2. Assess yourself
Here are some questions to ponder:
Is this going to matter in a week or month or year?
By worrying, am I handling a problem or creating one?
How will this help me?
Are my worries valid?
Can I do something to help myself?
Can I also think of positive possibilities?
Can I spend this mental energy in a better way?
Asking insightful questions has enormous power. You can quickly get on the correct track by asking a thoughtful question.
3. Reflect on your past
How many times have you fretted about something in the past only to find out it was pointless?
You were filled with worry and anxiety even though nothing particularly terrible happened. Remind yourself that things work out okay most of the time. Worrying is not going to help in any way.
A great idea is to keep a worry journal. Jot down whatever that crosses your thoughts. After a few days, go back through those pages and see how things worked out.
With me, my journal reminded me of the worries that I didn't remember just a week later but was so stressed. It enabled me to see how I had caused my own suffering and to take a lesson from it.
4. Differentiate problems
One effective way to understand if your worry will reap any good is to recognize if there is a solvable problem at hand or a spiral of imaginary unfortunate incidents.
As they say, "Change what you can, accept what you can't." Therefore, determine what you can change and take action on it. You should train yourself to perform better if you're concerned about the caliber of your work.
However, there's nothing helpful here if it's wondering whether something might go wrong later on. Every time a negative possibility crosses your mind, immediately follow it with a good one.