April 26, 2021
Worrying has always been my achilles heel. It is the ultimate enemy of being happy, truly happy. There have been moments when my worry has completely consumed me for days and ruined a million good things. I know I'm not the only one out there like this. Everyone has been consumed by worry in their life. Whether you suffer from mental illness or not, everyone has dealt with anxiety and for our purposes today-Worry. When I think about the infinite amount of time and energy that I have wasted worrying about things that never end up happening, it's astounding. Many people have written about ways to avoid worrying so my ideas are not new. However for me, they work or at least help reduce my obsessive worrisome thoughts. Here are a few things I have done to work through my worrying.
First on the list would be to make sure that no matter what happens, I don't rush to any impulsive serious action. Sometimes life requires that we take time to let things develop. This is key when dealing with worry. I have a very long list of times where rushing to action and going way overboard has ruined any chance of having a good outcome. This requires patience but it is so important. Plus, impulsive action that is not well thought out makes us look like we are frantic and dare I say crazy. Staying calm is key to us dealing with the problem effectively. If we can avoid that instant urge to do something sometimes the problem solves itself.
Another good thing to keep in mind when faced with worry or a tough decision is we need to ask people we trust to share their thoughts on the matter. I have panicked so many millions of times assuming the worst case scenario before getting feedback from my close trusted friends, parents or therapists. Most of the time their advice is sound and makes sense. We have to utilize our resources and the good people in our lives. Otherwise, it can lead to ruin.
Focusing on the few things that we can actually control are key to being successful. Many of our fears and worries are things totally out of our control. It makes no sense to worry how other people and other situations will impact each particular problem we are facing. Have I done my part to ensure that things will go right? Have I put myself in a good position to deal with what happens and what happens if things go bad. A sound plan is always a good place to start.
For me I have always been someone who prays about things going well. I hold on to faith in all situations. Sometimes just having that internal conversation with God or myself does a lot to reassure me. Now I certainly understand not everyone shares my view on religion and that is ok. Praying works for me. Telling yourself that things will work out well is important to do. It puts that positive thought at the forefront of your mind. Doing it with God or in your head will both be a good way to stay cool. Many people use meditation when they have these deliberate thoughts and that is certainly a helpful route to go too. Anything that can calm you down and bring peace to you is the perfect remedy. I use music, reading, baseball and writing to get my mind right. I'm sure you have your stuff too. Just do it. It will make you feel better.
The last idea I am going to mention is something unique to me due to my ocd, but I am positive a lot of you can relate. Making sure that I check myself and stop worrying about dumb stuff is vital. Sometimes you have to ask yourself, is this worth thinking about? Or will letting it go bring me peace? For instance I have into the millions worried about something being clean or something bumping into me when I walked by. Ask yourself, is it important that I obsess whether I bumped into a table when I walked by? In most cases it is not and only matters to someone worrying about everything. I don't want to be someone who worries about everything so I'm going to let go of the dumb stuff. You can do it too!
All in all, there is no perfect way to eliminate worry but the way we handle it goes a very long way in how happy we spend our days. I hope this helps you and feel free to leave any of your ideas in the comments on this blog. One can never have too many great ideas to be successful. Have a worry free week. Stay safe! EVB