How Not to Worry:
Tips for controlling your worry.

Below you’ll find tips on how not to worry. For now, let me tell you a little bit about my own experience with worry.

During most of my childhood, I carried around the name, “Worry Wort.” This never meant anything to me until I discovered that worry is not a good thing. Growing up with my mother wasn’t an easy task, so I took on the habit of worry. I felt that if I worried about things, I would somehow feel better. Or in other words, if I tried to “control” everything, I wouldn’t have to deal with surprises, disappointments, anxiety, or fear. And God knows I had a lot of that as a child. In a way, worry gave me a sense of stability in my life.

It wasn’t until I had an hour-long episode of heart palpitations, when I realized that worry wasn’t doing me any good. I remember the incident very well. I was sitting in my bedroom fusing over a credit card payment and fretting over how I was going to pay for it. I believe that it wasn’t from the credit card payment itself, but how I handled it that gave me problems.

So, long story short, after that episode, I started to pay attention to my stress and worry levels. And I haven’t had an hour-long episode since then. What have I done? I’ll give you my tips!

• When a stressful event occurs, don’t overreact.



It’s important to take stressful events in stride. When a stressful event occurs, tell yourself, “I can handle this or I will figure this out.” By all means avoid telling yourself anything that will make the stressful situation much worse such as…

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
“My life sucks.”
“I should have..”
“I could have..”
“If only…


• Everything doesn’t have to be perfect.



Allow imperfection into your life. Allow yourself to make mistakes. It’s the best way to learn. Worry doesn’t prevent uncertainty. As a matter of fact, worry makes uncertainty feel a lot worse.

• Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that will happen?”



Asking yourself this question puts everything into the right perspective. It’s a question that stops you at that moment and has you pay attention to what’s going on, how you’re feeling, and what you’re thinking about. More often than not, the worst thing that could happen really isn’t all that bad. Even in the worst situations, there’s always something to gain from the experience. It’s all just a matter of perspective.

• Another how not to worry tip is…don’t obsess over your worry.



Worry sometimes feels like it never ends and learning how not to worry can seem almost impossible. If it’s not one thing, it’s another, right? That can be true if you let it be true.

However, the truth is, you are the one that has the control over your worry and not the other way around. You need to make a decision to either allow worry to constantly enter your mind or stop the worry thought dead in its tracks.

For instance, if you’re continually finding yourself worried about your 16 year old son getting his driver’s license, it may be best for you to tell yourself, “I trust my son that he knows what he’s doing and I will no longer allow myself to worry about it.”

Once you have made a decision to stop worrying, stick to it. Every time you find yourself worried, stop yourself and say, “No I will not worry about that.” Find something else to do with your time. Invest your precious energy into something positive, like helping your son pick out something that he can enjoy for his new car.

• Trust yourself, be patient, and accept the process.



When you are worrying about something, you’re not trusting the process and wanting results in your own timing. This can be a very stressful journey and detrimental to your overall well-being. Let things happen and do what you can in the meantime. Do not over exert yourself and trust yourself to know when you need to take a deep breath and let it go.

Learning how not to worry can be a very difficulty journey. However, if you follow these tips, getting over your worry will be much easier and better for your health in the long run. Breaking the worry habit, like any habit, takes practice, determination, and willpower. Take these tips one at a time and try not to overwhelm yourself with what you “should” do. Trust yourself and the process.

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