Learn to bury the habit of worry

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You can learn to zap excessive worry with the following tips:

 

1. Recognise when you are worrying: It takes practice to recognise the

pattern but over time you will become proficient in noticing when you

are worrying. Worry is a greedy energy and if you let it run

unchecked, it will take as much of your attention as you let it.

 

2. Self-talk: Once you are able to identify that you are worrying,

experiment with this strategy. In your mind, respond to the worry with

something like this: " Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your

concern. But there is nothing more to be done right now, so I am going

to stop thinking about this. " Then get yourself to focus on something

else. Sooner or later, the worry will return. Repeat the above. This

is an iterative process. Hang on!

 

3. Create worry time and zones: Pick a specific location for your

worry party and limit yourself to this location for worrying. Do your

rants/raves only in this place and for the time you have specified.

That is right; there is a time limit to the moaning / groaning! Make

sure the zone is not a place where you spend most of your time or has

other people in it. Keep the kitchen and family room as cheerful as

possible. The bedroom is for sleeping and other pleasant activities,

so no worrying is allowed there. Ditto for the office.

 

4. Make connections: Be part of something larger than yourself.

Connect with family, friends, organisations and neighbourhood. By

increasing your connections in life, you will increase feeling of

strength and reduce sense of vulnerability.

 

5. Stay in the moment: Being aware and staying the moment is a good

antidote to worry. Since worry often has to do with the future and

sometimes the past, staying in the moment mans there is nothing to

worry about. Where are your sitting? What is around you? Are you warm,

or cool? Notice what is going on right now - In this moment.

 

6. Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worst: A positive attitude

works wonders and prevents us from falling into the dark pit of worry.

Write down the daily blessings life bestows on you. It is a remarkable

tool for helping us see the cup as half full. At the same time,

prepare yourself to accept the worst by identifying the worst-case

scenario. Then, set out to improve upon th worst-case result.

Meanwhile, ask yourself " just how likely is this worst-case scenario? "

 

7. Take action: Often just deciding to take the action can loosen

worry's grip on you. Do the things you are avoiding and you will find

that, rather than worry about them, you can cope with them.

 

8. Question yourself: Ask yourself the following types of questions.

" Is my worrying realistic or unrealistic? " " Productive or non-productive? "

 

If you have been worrying constantly for years and your worry appears

to be deep rooted, consider talking to your Stress Coordinator or a

Mental Health Professional.