Breaking The Worry Habit
Posted on 2 February 2009
Don’t Worry Be Happy
We all worry about stuff from time to time. Its normal and seems to be ingrained in our minds that its necessary to worry about things in order to feel good. Unfortunaly our brains are confused and don’t realise worrying serves no purpose to our functioning, worrying is simply a bad habit we have picked up over time.
Its not something easy to break, but I’m going to try and share some cool tips and tricks which can help your mind realize that worrying is irrational and a total waste of time.
Our minds seem to negotiate happiness; when things are going well it decides the time has come to compensate with some bad thoughts in order to counter balance things. With some re-training of the mind you can stop these depressing thoughts sneaking in when things are going well.
Worry Serves No Purpose
This is something important that we often forget when stuck in a worrying train of thought. Worrying was originally something that was a healthy habit that came about in times we needed it (being attacked, solving problems as they arise in the moment) this is the Fight or Fly response. Unfortunately the human body has become accustomed to using the Fight or Fly response as something to respond to silly day to day stressors like “what will people think of me” or the host of “What If” thoughts.
Worrying is never useful. It clouds our thought and drains our energy, the more it triggers a stress response the less capable we become at handling what actually matters “the here and now”.
1- Replace Thoughts
When worrying or stuck in a distressing train of thought learn to counter balance the thoughts. For instance every time you have a worrying thought that makes you feel anxious think back to when the last time something you were worrying about actually happened. I will bet that 95% of the things you have worried about in the past haven’t come true. This simple rationalization will usually make things click in your head.
Also try to think the opposite of the thought that is trapped in your mind. If your upset about something someone said, imagine them saying the opposite to you instead. The power of your mind is truly amazing.
2- Delay Worrying
This is a great tip I picked up a while back its pretty simple.
- Get a Pen and Paper
- Wirte down all the things that are worrying you now
- Tell yourself that you will Worry About Them Later
The mind is a funny thing and for some reason if you tell it that you will worry about something later it will quite happily put things off. As your fooled into thinking that your still worrying about things.
It will take some dedication at first but each time a bad thought crops up just tell yourself “Worry About it Later” and imagine the thought being brushed off. After about a half hour of doing this worrying thoughts will dissipate. Delaying worrying is one habit you need to pickup!
3- Don’t go too Hard
I have noticed at times when I am training too hard and eating too little (possibly through fasting, keeping busy) I quickly become moody, anxious, irritable and start worrying about insignificant things. Throw some coffee in the mix and its a sure fire way to burn yourself out.
Sometime worry and stress is your mind getting confused and trying make you calm down by figuring out what is wrong (which can never be done through worry). This goes hand in hand with overtraining.
If you are every feeling like everything is too much, it probably is. Turn down all your stressors, eat lots of good food and get some rest. You will be surprised at how quickly your train of thought becomes rational again. Remember when your stressed out or overworked your body forgets to signal that you need food, which can lead to a vicious cycle of under eating provoking a anxious/worrisome mind.
Intermittent Fasting Stress and Anxiety
The article above can give you a very good idea of why over doing things can lead to a breakdown. And how stressors can affect your body without you even realizing.
4- Have a Release
One of the best ways to get things into perspective is to have a release. Too many of us are prone to store up emotions as we have no one to talk to, or are uncomfortable speaking to others about our problems. One way around this is to keep a Journal, this is something that is surprisingly helpful. Each night note down things about your day, how you felt (good or bad) and things your grateful for. You will be shocked at how effective writing a 10 minute journal entry is at clearing your mind and putting it at ease. Anytime I have some worries or anxieties grabbing a little book and noting them all down keeps me sane. Journalling helps you:
- Clear Your Mind
- Get things off your chest
- Fools you into thinking things have been dealt with
- Provides interesting read back material allowing you to see how far you’ve come
Another great release is obviously exercise. I wrote about this previously over here…….. Personally I find in order to release I need to do some activity that lets me get into a flow state; this could be something like running, swimming and even hitting a boxing bag for 20-30 minutes. Its for that reason I recommend that people under high stress should use some form of intense exercise to calm the mind and channel excess energy.
Comment by Son of Grok
2 February 2009
Man did I ever need a reminder of these thing right now. Thank you Chris! Excellent timing.
The SoG
Comment by Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
2 February 2009
Some good advice here Chris. I find a lot of the time when I am worrying about something it really helps to just write it down and keep scribbling away until I have calmed down.
Comment by Chris
3 February 2009
@ Tom: Thats the one! When I first heard scribbling down ideas would calm the mind I was pretty skeptical but its an amazing tool that really works. Good to hear you have found a way of dealing with worries!
@ SOG: Funny how things pop up at the right time in life, glad that the article helped you…..
Comment by Yavor
3 February 2009
I like mindset post. Keep em coming.
Comment by JC
3 February 2009
Good call on the daily journaling. I personally feel the same about taking out my frustrations on paper. When I get in, if I can only find 15 minutes to write about my day I feel it’s much easier to unwind before bed time. It allows me to focus on what I really need to focus on as opposed to the little distractions I encounter throughout the day.
great post as always
Comment by Melanie Thomassian
4 February 2009
Absolutely agree with this! Worry serves no purpose at all, in fact I think it is a major reason why so many people suffer from poor health.
The mind is really such a powerful organ, most of us don’t stop to realise how limited we are by worry, anxiety, and negative thinking.
Great post, thanks for the reminders!
Stumbled
Comment by Terry
8 February 2009
I was just reading your latest post and noticed I missed this one. Great timing for me too!
It was a comfort and I’ll put it to use post haste. You’re getting me off to a good start this Sunday morning. Thanks.
Comment by Zaki P
13 February 2009
“Worry Serves No Purpose” describes it all in a nutshell. Old Hermetic philosophy teaches us the Principal of Rhythm – “everything flows, out and in, everything has its tides, all things rise and fall, the pendulum-swing manifests in everything…” – this is where the popular saying “go with a flow” comes from. I believe that people tend to forget, or neglect the fact that in order to change their current mood/state/vibration, all they have to do is take a deep breath and realise that worries are there to stay only if we pay attention to them. Focusing on a solution rather then on a problem, is the way to go! Maybe easier said then done, but I guarantee it’s worth a try
Thanks for the post Chris, I enjoyed reading it!
@ Zarko thanks for chiming in, a very philosophical post and very interesting take on the subject. We must also remember that worrying is a defense mechanism and our mind trying to solve problems, we just need to learn to channel this energy correctly and not let itself manifest as worry and fear which can cripple us but rather as a drive to do something about the problem in hand (if there is one)…..Glad to see your enjoying the posts! And amazing T-Shirts BTW, I’d love to get hold of one….
No worries Chris
I’ll make sure you have the “complete product” very soon. In the words of Paranoid Android – “A robot must know its a robot!” 
Comment by Keith
6 March 2009
Not for nothing, but its the “fight or FLIGHT” response. Not having anything do with flying, it has to do with fleeing, as in “running away”.
Comment by Betsy Henry
5 April 2009
Hi! I loved your post. I was just contemplating how much worse worry is in the middle of the night. Also, did you buy the Blue Buddha or just give her/hurleygurley credit with a link. It’s a wonderful photo
@ Betsy: Its natural for worries to be worse in the middle of the night, just accept things are this way and float through them. Your thinking will return to its rational self in the morning….