Are You a Worry Wart?

Dictionary.com defines worry as “to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret”.

Are you a worry wart?

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying about 95% of the things we worry about never happen, right?

Even though we know this, it doesn’t stop us from worrying sometimes all day every day!

Our minds prepare for things that may go wrong in the future.

Guess what?

Unless we’re psychic, we probably can’t predict the future, no matter how hard we try!

Yet, we tend to needlessly worry about topics such as: money, family, love life, gaining weight, sickness, travel, etc.

Control!

Psych Central says “People worry in an attempt to “control” their problems.

They believe that if they control their problems, they can eventually solve them.

If you share this belief, ask yourself how exercising control of your problems actually helps you solve your problems.

I think that if you give it some thought, you will probably come to the conclusion that excessive worry, in fact, makes it harder from finding good solutions while keeping you emotionally activated.

The very things you are trying to solve are intensified!.

Attempting to control the future wastes time and creates pain, frustration, and anxiety.

“Even when our fears come true, worrying in advance rarely helps us cope with them” according to Psychology Today.

Can our brains learn how to replace the worrying with something more productive?

Yes!

Tips for Worrying Less!

✍️ Write down something you can improve on and describe the steps to make it happen.
🙏 Write in a gratitude journal.
🧘🏽‍♂️ Meditate daily for at least 5 minutes daily.
👩🏻‍💻 Do a daily thought download.
👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼 Make an effort to create new friendships, socialize often, and keep in touch with existing friends.
🚴 Get some daily exercise.
📺 Minimize exposure to upsetting things such as the news or negative or stressful TV shows.
📋 Each day, create a list of things you’ve done well in the last 24 hours.
🗑 Declutter your home and remove unneeded items. Clutter actually fosters an environment for germs and pests.
🥫 Organize the pantry. How many expired spices and old food do you really need?
📝 Write a list of all the people you love and why you love them.
🎨 Be creative by crafting, writing a book or trying a new recipe.
👨‍🏫 Take an in person or online class, or join a group of like minded people.
📘 Read a motivational book or get lost in a romance novel.
🎲 Play a board game.
🍿 Watch a funny movie.
😱 Create a list of all the past worries that never came to fruition.