Worrying is a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems that you may possibly experience in the future. For example, it could be a work meeting at the top of the hour or whether you’ll develop a serious condition in 20 years because your aunt on your dad’s side had a serious illness.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of things to worry about. Sickness, aging, rejection, failure, being alone, poverty, crime, and war are just some examples of things that cause worry. Moreover, our modern society has invented ways to bring you news instantly from around the world, highlighting the doom and gloom. With all that’s going on in your life and the world, how can someone not worry?
When is Worrying a Problem?
Worrying is normal. Everyone worries from time to time. Unfortunately, it can lead to depression and other mental health conditions if someone excessively worries. Moreover, it can cause several physical ailments, such as a suppressed immune system, digestive issues, muscle tension, short-term memory loss, weight loss or gain, and heart disease.
Thankfully, there are many ways to help reduce your worrying and ease your mind and body from potential hardships. Here are five tips that you can try now to help you worry less.
1. Don’t Let Negativity Bias Create Unnecessary Worry
Unfortunately, bad things happen to us. Overall, we tend to remember traumatic experiences, recall insults better than praise, dwell on negative things, and respond more strongly to negative events than equally positive ones. This also explains why bad first impressions can be difficult to overcome and why past traumas can linger so long. Moreover, you will likely notice negative things in any interaction and recall them later.
Fortunately, you aren’t alone, and everyone does this to various degrees. Yet, you will pay more attention to the bad things that happen or could happen, making them seem much more important than they really are. Therefore, negative self-talk can create more worry and anxiety. Furthermore, your motivation may suffer to complete a task, or you shy away from an opportunity. Research shows that you may have less motivation when you gain something, yet more motivation when the same incentive will help you avoid the loss of something you already have.
Overall, negative thoughts can contribute to excessive worrying about all the potential bad things that could happen. Reframing negative worries as neutral statements allows you to examine your concerns from a different perspective. This can help you determine if it actually is something to worry about. If not, toss that worry to the curb.
2. Perfection is a Problem
Perfectionism can create unnecessary worry. If you’re a perfectionist, you might worry about making mistakes or taking responsibility for anything that goes wrong. Moreover, you may feel that you must make perfect decisions to stop negative things from happening. Unfortunately, perfectionists tend to explore every negative possibility in a situation and find a solution before moving forward. As a result, this leads to more anxiety, which drums up more negative possibilities, thereby creating a downward spiral.
Perfection is impossible to obtain. Therefore, putting your best foot forward and doing your best will be good enough. Even the masters of our time produce great work. They do not produce perfect work.
3. Accept Uncertainty and Loss of Control
Primarily, worrying stems from the fear of something going wrong or the lack of control over a situation. Your mind may begin to think about how something can go wrong and what bad outcomes could happen.
The ancient Stoics believed the way to inner peace is to separate the things you can control, such as your thoughts, actions, emotions, and behaviors, from the things you cannot control, like the weather or other people’s opinions. Therefore, you would only focus your time and energy on the things you can control.
Worrying usually falls on the side of things you cannot control. Fortunately, you can confront your worries and determine if you can mitigate the worry in any way. If not, it may be best to let it go and focus your mind and energy on more important matters, like the things you can control.
4. Writing Things Down
Research shows that most adults can only memorize 5 to 9 items for a short time. Memorizing all errands, appointments, shopping lists, and other tasks is extremely difficult. In truth, it’s only possible for a small group of people. For the rest of us, trying to juggle everything can create more worry and anxiety around forgetting important details or doing something.
Another strategy to reduce anxiety is to write down your worries. This provides another opportunity to determine if it is a concern or not. Moreover, it also frees you from remembering it. Therefore, a journal can help keep everything in order, reduce your anxiety, and help focus your energy.
5. Move Your Body
You probably know that exercise can positively impact your mental state. It doesn’t have to be a 5-mile run or a hard workout at the gym. In fact, a 10-minute walk is enough to help calm a racing mind.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity for most healthy adults. They also recommend doing muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups twice a week.
According to a recent study, those who met the recommended 150 minutes a week experienced better mental health than those who didn’t. Not surprisingly, a well-rounded fitness routine can really benefit the body and mind. Also, it can help you worry less.
The Takeaway
Worrying too much can make you more anxious, affect your body and mind, and take you away from being present with important people in your life. However, you can change your life, even if it is a little bit at a time. If you remember no one is perfect, that there are things you can and cannot control, and take a look at a situation from other perspectives, you can learn to keep your worrying in check and live your life on your own terms.
FitTrend’s mission is to help you along your self-improvement journey, promote an active lifestyle, and help you achieve your goals. Our journal can help you track your mood, sleep, and more. Also, FitTrend allows you to connect supported gadgets to your account to make it easier for you to update your journal automatically. Create your account today and start using FitTrend for free!
Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
