Three Ways to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Are you tired of feeling like a prisoner to your worries? Do you find it hard to let go of worries and get on with your day? Does it feel like nothing works to stop you from jumping down that rabbit hole of anxiety? If this sounds like you, keep reading to learn some new strategies to get those anxiety fuelled worries under control!
Why do We Worry?
Worrying is a normal and healthy way of preparing yourself for the future. Worrying is the mind’s way of letting you know that there is something you perceive to be important that requires your attention. When worrying is proportionate to the situation at hand, it can be an extremely helpful way of problem solving and organising and planning for the future. When you become aware of a worry that’s brewing, you are able to be mindful of upcoming events, appointments, work deadlines, and so on.
People who are prone to experiencing anxiety also tend to be expert worriers. If this sounds like you, it’s not all bad! If you tend to over think and worry a lot, chances are you are probably super organised, rarely late for things, seen by others as highly reliable and dependable.
On the downside, anxious people who worry and a lot can often perceive neutral situations as threatening, while also under estimating their ability to cope, which naturally leads to the feeling of anxiety. For example, fear of public speaking often results from telling yourself that you will freeze during an upcoming team meeting, not be able to get your words out, resulting in feeling a high amount of anxiety leading up to the meeting.
Worrying can become problematic if it causes you a high amount of anxiety. If you find it impossible to let go of your worries, and feel consumed by them, or if they cause you to avoid or procrastinate on getting things done, then keep reading for some psychologist recommended tips.
Three Ways to Stop Worrying and Be More Present in Your Life
- Catch your worries and change your self talk: the next time you become aware of a worry, try asking yourself if this is really a threatening situation or whether you are simply choosing to view it that way. Try putting the worry into perspective by reminding yourself of previous successes, asking yourself what the most likely outcome will be, and reminding yourself of the coping skills you have to manage the situation at hand.
- Acknowledge the worry is there: try allowing the worry space in your mind without actively trying to push it out. Rather than making yourself busy with distraction, try to do the opposite of what you usually do- face it by allowing it to tell you what it needs to and then carry on with your plans for the day. In this way, the worry is more likely to take up less head space than when it has to shout for attention. Learning how to hold worry in the mind without it becoming debilitating is an important skill. When we listen to what it has to say and refuse to stop our lives and be consumed by worrying in circles, it tends to go away faster, and takes up less head space.
- Re focus your attention to the present moment: worry and anxiety is about the future, and the more we engage with them, the more we are taken away from the present moment and into our heads. Next time you feel a worry coming on, try asking yourself to focus on what you can see around you in the moment, the sounds you can hear, and try taking a few deep breaths to ground yourself in your body.
If you need a bit of extra support, use the contact form to get in touch with us today. A clinical psychologist who specialises in anxiety has the expertise and skills to work with you by creating a customised treatment plan to help you stop worrying and get your anxiety under control faster!
