When we can’t stop worrying, we fail to understand is that worrying doesn’t rob our tomorrow of its sorrows, it only saps today of its joy. Most times, when we worry, several negative thoughts pop up in our minds. We should focus on spending more of our time and attention in the present moment. In this article, we will be discussing some of the habits to stop worrying.
Worries start with a nagging thought, then creates another few thoughts, and before we know it, there will be a storm brewing in our mind. The storm brewing in our mind will then makes us think irrationally, which zaps our physical and mental energy.
Here are 9 simple habits that we can practice to stop worrying:
1. We shouldn’t try to guess what is on someone’s mind
When we try to read what is on someone’s mind, we can end up worrying unnecessarily. One of the habits to stop worrying is trying not to guess what someone is thinking about because it doesn’t work too well. Instead, it can easily lead us into creating a disastrous and even exaggerated scenario in our minds.
We should choose a way that is less likely to lead us to misunderstandings and worries. Communication can be a good solution for us to avoid worrying, we should ask what we want to know instead of guessing about what it should be. By communicating, we will promote openness in our relationship.
2. We should say stop in a situation where we know we cannot think straight
Different kinds of thoughts come to our heads whenever we are hungry or about to go to sleep; we tend to become mentally vulnerable. During these periods, worries can easily start buzzing around our heads.
We should learn how to stop ourselves from thinking about those negative thoughts whenever they come to mind. However, it will take some practice to apply this effectively and consistently.
3. We should refocus on the small step that we can take to move forward
One of the habits to stop worrying is by refocusing on the small step that we can take to move forward. Taking small steps might look like we are not progressing, but we will end up moving forward in the end. We might find it hard to move out of the worried headspace, but if we start moving and taking action to start solving or improving whatever we are concerned about, we will succeed.
4. We should always remember that people don’t think about us and what we do as much as we may think
This is one of the habits to stop worrying. Don’t get your hand full with thinking about what others are thinking about you, you should think about what is closest to your heart like your work, partner, children, or job.
We shouldn’t get lost in worries about what people may say or think about you. When we get lost in worries like that, it can hold us back in life. Let’s focus on what we love to do and try to do it without caring about what others will think about it.
5. Let your worry out into the light
Letting our worry into the light is one of the habits to stop worrying, it tends to work always. By letting our “big” worry into the light and talking about it with someone close to us, it becomes a lot easier for us to see the issue or situation for what it really is.
Just venting for some minutes can make a big difference, and after a while, we may start to wonder what we were so worried about in the first place. Sometimes the other person may only have to listen as we work through the situation ourselves out loud.
If we don’t have anyone to talk to at the moment about what we are worried about, then we can let it out by writing about it. Just getting it out of our head and reasoning about it ourselves either on a journal on our computer (even our blog) or in a paper can help us to calm down and find clarity.
6. We should spend more time in the present moment
When we spend too much time reliving the past in our mind, then it easy to start feeding our worries about the future. When we spend too much in the future also then it is easy to get swept away by disaster scenarios. So we should focus on spending more of our time and attention in the present moment. Let’s try these ways to reconnect with what is happening right now:
- Slowing down: We shouldn’t stop whatever we are doing right now, but let’s do it slower. We should move, eat, talk, or ride our bicycles slower. By doing so, we will become more aware of what is happening around us.
- Let’s disrupt and reconnect: If we feel we are starting to worry then we should disrupt that thought by shouting this to ourselves in our mind: STOP! Then we can reconnect with the present moment by taking just two or three minutes to focus 100% on what is going on around us. We should take it all in with all our senses. Feel it, smell it, see it, hear it and sense it on our skin.
7. We should learn to work-out
Working out is one of the habits to stop worrying. Few things work so well and consistently as we work out because it helps release inner tensions and also move us out of a headspace that is extra vulnerable to worries. We will find out that working out, especially with free weights, makes us feel more focused and decisive.
Even though working out helps us to build a stronger body, but we will also find out that it is making us more focused, our main motivation for doing it is for the predictable and wonderful benefits. It is one of the great habits to stop worrying, and it is really helpful to ease our stress.
8. When we put it in mind that most of the things we worry about have never happened
Whenever something is bothering our mind, we should always remember that worries are just monsters we build in our minds. Also, when we feel worries, we should ask ourselves questions like:
- How many of the things I feared would happen in my life did actually happen?
We should try asking ourselves this question regularly because it will keep reminding us of how little those worries will affect our lives. If we allow ourselves to be consumed in these worries, it will become a big snowball of negativity. Most times, we just worry about things that will not even happen, so we should stay focus to avoid being consumed by the worries. This is also one of the habits to stop worrying.
Source (s)
how to stop worrying: 9 simple habits – positivityblog
