Worrying is a bad habit but a habit nonetheless. You’ve heard the word so many times in so many ways, but what is worrying exactly? When you worry, you are more likely to have negative thoughts about things left in the past, future events, daily stressors, and things that haven’t even happened yet. Worrying can be a sign that you are overthinking your life. In this article, we will explore this unfortunate part of human psychology and discuss ways we might fight back against our tendency to worry.
Common features of Worry
Worrying is tiring. You expend a lot of mental energy worrying about the future, and the same mental energy you devote to worrying is not available for thinking or doing. Worrying is not helpful. Worrying about something that doesn't happen, or worrying about something that has already happened and can't be changed wastes time. Worrying is not rational. Worrying is an unpleasant way to think, and there are plenty of more pleasant ways to think. Worrying slows you down. Worrying can slow you down so much that you end up making the same mistakes over and over. Worrying is corrosive. Worrying causes you to lose your temper, and that can make you do things you'll later regret. Worrying is not sustainable. Worrying is tiring, and you can't keep it up forever. Eventually, you'll have to stop worrying about things you can't control, or they'll just take over your life.
Stop worrying about the past:
On the one hand, looking back at your life, you see the mistakes you made, the wasted opportunities, the ways you hurt others. On the other, looking back at it, you see the good things you did. Either you feel too guilty, or too empty, or too ashamed of yourself, to look back. But if you don't look back, you miss the chance to grow.
Because now we have so many choices, and because we can learn from mistakes and from success, the past is less relevant than it used to be. Whether we look back or not, the past is only important if we are trying to change. If we are not, then the past doesn't affect us, and we shouldn't worry about it.
Stop worrying about the future
We spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about the future. Our worry is psychological, not practical. We tend to think of the future as a place where things will happen to us that we can't control. We think of it as a place where bad things will happen to us. We worry about the future too much because it's a dismal place, and we don't believe we can change it. The future is a series of possible futures. But none of them is as likely or as dangerous as we think they are. Anxiety about what might happen tomorrow or next year is a waste of time because you can't do anything about it. And worrying about something that doesn't happen only makes tomorrow look worse. The things you can't change, don't change. The things you can control, do. So don't waste your energy worrying about something that might not happen.
Stop worrying about daily stressors
There is a saying: "If you can't control life, you'll control your reaction to it." For most people, life's daily stressors -- work, school, kids, mortgages, etc. -- are so unpleasant or unpredictable that they don't even bother trying to control them. They just let life control them. There's nothing wrong with that. But there's a difference between letting life control you and letting it control you emotionally. Stress, the sense of being overwhelmed is not all bad. It keeps us alert. But at a certain point, stress sets in, and instead of helping us stay focused, it makes us feel drained and dysfunctional. It can affect sleep patterns, stop us from thinking straight, affects our judgment, and stop us from being able to operate more rationally. But there is an even greater danger attached to daily stress and that is the physical implications. The more we allow psychological stress to overwhelm us the more we effectively poison our bodies with harmful stress hormones, which untreated can lead eventually to more serious or chronic physical illness.
Win the battle with worry and let go of your negative thoughts. Learn how to better cope with stress.
Treat every worry as an ANT (Automatic Negative Thought) and learn to recognise most ANTs as your imagination running away with itself. Most things we worry about are just stories we tell ourselves that are very often not based on fact at the time but merely opinion. Learning to intercept these ANTs as often as possible will gradually bare fruit by reducing the habit of unnecessary worrying and thereby reducing emotional stress and by virtue also physical stress too.
Watch this video to understand more about ANTs and how you can consciously control them better.
Natural ways to manage and reduce worry
Health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, can be caused by stress, and by directly influencing the mind and indirectly influencing the body, we can reduce the impact of stress. The mind and the body influence one another just as if we speak, and the same mechanism that we use to think and speak also controls how we act. Many research studies are being done to test this theory, and researchers have found that when patients focus on their breathing and consciously slow their heart rate, their blood pressure decreases, and they are less stressed. One of the best ways to establish this healthier mind-body connection is through practises like mindfulness or meditation which directly affects the parasympathetic nervous system and allows the mind to effectively reset the body to a more functional state. Psychiatry has been using mindfulness meditation for thirty-five years. For patients with depression, anxiety, and other conditions, it has proven to be effective. The science of mindfulness meditation is relatively new, but studies are showing promising results. Some research indicates that mindfulness meditation may help improve attention, reduce impulsivity, and strengthen cognitive control. These potential benefits are central to improving mental health.
In conclusion
Worrying is a symptom of anxiety. Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, or dread. People with anxiety experience these feelings repeatedly in different situations and over a period of time. The good news is anxiety is treatable. There are many things you can do to start reducing anxiety. The first step is to recognize when you are feeling anxious. Try to notice your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations in different situations. Wherever possible, learn to notice your ANTs and intercept them. Good luck and if you have any questions don't be afraid to reach out.
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About the author
David Faratian is the principal hypnotherapist at The Cumbria Hypnosis Mindfulness Clinic. He founded Cumbria Hypnosis in 2006 and since then it has consistently been one of the highest-rated and reputable hypnotherapy clinics across Cumbria, South Lakes, and The Northwest. David specializes in a full range of psychological issues and has a dedicated site devoted to each issue. Visit www.cumbria-hypnosis.com
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