Do you worry? Although worry is a natural reaction to dealing with the daily challenges we often face, it can become a problem for many and begin to have a negative effect on life. When worry becomes obsessive and begins to interfere with your normal daily activities then it has moved from being a natural and normal process to one that should be dealt with as quickly as possible.
If this sounds like you and you want to stop worrying now, there are a few things you can do to break the process:
Be realistic with your approach and change your focus. Sometimes when we are thinking about something we tend to focus on the bad things that can happen instead of looking at the situation at face value. By identifying what specific worrisome thoughts we are having, you can come up with positive alternative statements that can help you get past the worry. Really what we are talking about here is changing your focus to the positive outcomes of the situation rather than on what could possible go wrong.
You can also use procrastination to your advantage and decide that you will worry about something later, this can often help you stop worrying now and get back on track. When worry comes up try to change your focus by doing something that you can really get engaged with. Maybe you can exercise or read a book, talking to friend can also distract you from the worry until you can get yourself back on track.
Procrastination works as long as you schedule a time to work on your problem. Often we can worry to the point that we are no longer able to focus on what we are doing. By delaying the worry, you can work on it when you can give it your full attention.
It’s important to really focus on it when the scheduled time arrives. This is your hard core worry time and is the time you get to focus on what could go wrong as well as the possible solutions to it. Write down what you are feeling and what you are worried about. Can this really happen? If so, can you deal with it? Most of the time the things we worry about won’t even happen, and if they do, we can usually deal with them. You may have examples from your past of times when you dealt with a similar problem and you can use that as a positive reference for this new problem. If the thing you are worried about will really happen, focus on either the outcome (if it’s positive) or how you can prepare for it to make things work out in a more positive way.
If you really want to stop worrying now then you have to practice techniques until they become a habit. An effective strategy is one that happens automatically and the only way you will get there is by practice and regular use.
How To Get Rid Of Anxiety contains a number of the best strategies to help you deal with worry and anxiety. Excessive worry can often lead to worry and anxiety. To stop worrying check out these strategies.