As a natural activity, worrying can help prepare the body and mind to face everyday challenges. But when concern is excessive, it may become a hindrance to your daily routine, and be an extra burden to carry on as you try to reach your goals.
So, how do you know when you are worrying excessively? And how do you manage it?
Make a list.
Whenever you feel uneasy, make a ‘list of worries’, a simple list of every negative thought that comes up to your mind.
There is a reason why putting your thoughts on paper is effective. Indeed, what makes worries powerful is their ambiguity, you feel anxious and nervous, but you do not know exactly why.
While you write what worries you, process it through the written word. Take it off your head and put it on paper. Be specific. It will help you to define the issue and tackle it.
Put a cost on worries.
There is another trick to make apprehensions less vague (and less powerful) and, at the same time, to become aware of how much these worries have an impact on your life.
Whenever you are worried, you should take a 1000 vnd note and put it in a jar. This simple exercise will help you understand how often concerns are part of your life, but above all, it will show how much they “cost” you. 1000 vnd aside, worries deprive you of 2 essential resources for our success: your physical energy, and your focus.
Pay attention to what you think.
Learn to observe your thoughts, the things that you think the most about; then change the expressions you use while thinking. Change the “I can’t do it” with “That’s challenging, but I can do it”, the “it’s too difficult” with “it’s within my reach if I put some effort”, the “I can’t get out of it” with “this is an opportunity”.
Be grateful.
Scientific studies have shown that the feeling of gratitude helps to reduce worries.
“But how do you get any gratitude if bad luck has decided that you are the only human being worthy of attention?”. Good question. Every morning, as soon as you wake up or right after having a nice breakfast, take your diary and write down five things you are grateful for.
Simple pleasures are what you are looking for in this journal, like a good sleep or the taste of coffee when you wake up.
Take some time to return to your diary and read it when you have a blue moment. Sometimes we forget what we have, and the activity helps worries and negative thoughts to take the lead.
Think about it from a new perspective.
Being alive means having problems. Indeed, problems are an essential part of our life. However, without issues to face and limits to overcome may not grow and improve.
As much as you may be convinced of the contrary, there is an opportunity behind every problem you are facing. The exam is too difficult? It’s time to learn new study strategies. Did you fight with a friend? Try to learn from what went wrong and think about your communication skills.
In addition, you should know that worrying is not an effective strategy for managing problems. Acting is.
Make now, at this very moment, a list of the problems that worry you the most, define the actions you need to take to solve these problems, pull one of these actions, and… take action. Stop putting it off!
Establish a “time to worry”.
Set ten minutes in the morning and ten in the afternoon (same time and place every day) as a moment to focus on anxieties and worries. If you realize that negative thoughts are showing in another part of the day, learn to note down and postpone them to that specific moment. It will help you concentrate on your duties, and at the same time be aware of what distracts you during the day.
To sum up
In conclusion, worries are not necessarily bad for you. It depends on how they affect your everyday life. The question is: Is worrying helping me?
If the answer is yes, go for it!
If the answer is no, consider transforming your concerns into something that can help you improve.
Sometimes, you can just stop worrying. It’s a natural consequence of a stressful period, but it can also happen without a clear reason. Sharing these thoughts with another person is important to clear your ideas.
The counseling services office is always available to support you in case of need. Just come to the office or book an online session.
