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12 Techniques to
Stop Worrying
Cindy Holbrook
“I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened” –
Mark Twain
What Is worry? Worry is a very strong feeling of anxiety.
It’s fear of the unknown – the thought that the worst
will happen.
We may become overly concerned with future events.
We may engage in repetitive negative self-talk with all
the worst case scenarios.
A lot of our thoughts will begin with …
“If only ….
I would have stayed at home”
I would have said”
I made the opposite decision”
I would have stayed at home”
I would have said”
I made the opposite decision”
Or
“What if …
I get into a car accident?”
I get fired or laid off?”
My teenager gets pregnant?”
I become ill?”
I get into a car accident?”
I get fired or laid off?”
My teenager gets pregnant?”
I become ill?”
Worry is a behavior – a habitual way of thinking. If your
parents were chronic worriers,
chances are you will be too – then you’ll pass it on to
your children. Since worry is a habitual behavior, you do have the ability to
overcome it – to replace worry with a more positive habit.
What Do We Worry
About?
When it comes to worry, studies have shown the following
statistics:
40% never happens – so in essence we are wasting our time
by worrying.
30% of what we worry about has already happened. Learn to
“let go” and forgive yourself
and others. You cannot change the past – no one can.
Accept it for what it is and go on.
12% are needless worries, such as what someone else
thinks about us.
10% are petty and unimportant such as we worry about
what’s for dinner,
we worry about being late, we worry about what to wear.
8% of what we worry about actually happens.
Of this percentage…
4% of our worries that happen are beyond our control. We
cannot change the outcome.
These worries may include our health, the death of a
loved one or an impending natural disaster. Often times the reality of these
events are more bearable than the worry.
4% of what we worry about we have some if not all control
over the results.
Basically I think this is the consequences of our actions
or inaction on the problems
and challenges we face.
Given these statistics, you may find it worthwhile asking
the following questions:
How many times do we work ourselves into frenzy over a
situation that is beyond our control?
Why do we allow worry to stress us out so much that we
become ill?
Why do we waste our mental energy with worry?
I can’t answer these questions for you. What I can do is
offer you techniques to overcome worry. It’s up to you to decide to stop the
worry habit.
How Can You Stop
or Reduce Your Worries?
“Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will
lose a couple of years.
If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train
yourself not to worry.
Worry never fixes anything.” – Mary Hemingway
1. Prepare for the
worst – Hope for the best.
This comes right from the advice of Dale Carnegie
in “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living”.
Accept the worst possible outcome and then take action to
improve upon the worst.
2. Get Busy. When
you find yourself beginning to worry – get busy on your to-do list.
If you don’t have a list – then write one. List your
goals and the action steps required
to meet them. One of the benefits of your to-do list is
you will stop worrying
about forgetting something important.
3. Distract
Yourself. Call a friend. Read a good book. Watch a funny movie.
Take the kids to the park. Take a walk. There’s dozens of
things you can do.
4. Get Support. Friends
and family can be an excellent source of support. Especially if they
will tell you how they see things. Sometimes just talking
things out, helps the worry go away.
5. Make a Decision. If
you’re worrying about an unresolved personal or business issue –
then it’s time to make a decision.
Once you decide what to do, you can begin taking steps
for the best possible outcome.
6. Confront the
Problem Head-On. It’s usually not the problem itself that is causing
your worry. It’s usually the anticipation of the problem. How will others be
affected or react?
Deal with the problem as soon as possible.
7. Practice
Relaxing. It is important that you take time to totally relax.
Close your eyes take long deep breaths in through your
nose and out through your mouth.
With each breath tell yourself to relax.
It just takes a couple of minutes of this exercise for
the tension to leave your body.
8. Listen to CDs. This
can be your favorite music, brainwave CDs or behavior modification tapes that
are designed to dissolve worry and anxiety. (These do not have to be
self-hypnotizing
or subliminal – but of course you can choose these types
of tapes.)
9. Journal. After
writing down everything they are worried about in a journal,
most people feel a sense of relief. In writing you may
have discovered
what you are really afraid of, and then you can
objectively work on improving the situation.
10. Take Care of
Yourself. Get plenty of rest. Eat a healthy diet and exercise.
When you nurture your body and mind, it’s easier to put
things in perspective.
It’s easier to cope with the unexpected.
11. Count Your
Blessings. You have a lot to be thankful for. Look around you …
We live in a beautiful world. You can be thankful for
your health, your family, your mind,
your country, your house, your job, your TV or even your
microwave!
12. Monitor Your
Thoughts. Be aware of your thoughts and be ready to replace worries
with positive thoughts. Be prepared with a positive
thought or quote,
such as “Calmness is the cradle of power” (Josiah Gilbert
Holland).
There are many techniques you can use to stop worrying.
The important thing is to consistently use them until the
new behavior becomes a habit.
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/stop-worrying/#CQV97KI78bT8xDsi.99
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