Worries Be Gone!
You can lessen and improve worrying.
With less worrying comes a heightened level of work, health, and happiness!
I have been applying strategies from the book, How to Stop Worrying & Start Living by Dale Carnegie to gain wisdom into my worrying and to better guide clients in doing the same.
We only gain wisdom through experience and accumulating information alone is not enough to create transformation. Choose one strategy shared below to put into action consistently!
Your life is made up of what you do consistently, not sporadically.
Live For Today
Today is the only day that exists, but worrying is always about the future or the past. I recently found an Al-Anon 'Just for Today' bookmark at the airport that helps me keep a 24-hour laser-focus. Whenever I catch myself worrying about the the future or past, I use the mantra. 'Today' to redirect my attention back to whatever is in front of me. The only true way to prepare for the future and amend the past is to do your very best in the present moment.
Other People's Problems
Be worry-free by remembering O.P.P.! Other people's problems. Most worries are centered around small things that lack an honest objective perspective. When worries appear for me, I reflect upon OPP. For a powerful reminder, I often recite the quote from Helen Keller, 'I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.' My worries fade in the face of reality when I volunteer for a nonprofit that feeds the homeless in my hometown. Who can serve as your OPP to shift the state of worry to that of gratitude?
Real Possibility?
We worry about things that have a very little chance of ever happening. I did some research into my worry about airplane safety and learned that the Dutch aviation consulting firm To70 and the Aviation Safety Network both reported there were no commercial passenger jet fatalities in 2017 and “2017 was the safest year for aviation ever,”. To70 estimated that the fatal accident rate for large commercial passenger flights is 0.06 per million flights, or one fatal accident for every 16 million flights. Learning these facts and statistics made all my previous nervousness around airplane turbulence fly away.
Write Worries Out
Stop the exhausting worry loop in your head, by putting it down onto paper ASAP! This saves tremendous mental and emotional energy while giving you distance to look objectively at the situation for a creative solution. Write down and answer the following four questions:
- What am I worrying about?
- What can I do about it?
- What is the best solution?
- What will I do to immediately carry it out and when am I going to take action?
3 Rules to Remember
Rule 1 - Get the facts of what you are worrying about because you can’t solve it intelligently or make decisions without sufficient information.
Rule 2 - Analyze & interpret the facts to arrive at a decision using the answers from the four questions above.
Rule 3 - Do something about it to gain a sense of control over what seems uncontrollable and transform yourself from being paralyzed to proactive.
Truth Proof
Take a sheet of paper and divide it into two halves by drawing a vertical line down the center. On the left side of the paper write out your worries, even as they appear in your day. Go back and write what happened to that worry on the right side of the paper. You will quickly and clearly see the proof that the majority of the worries on your mind were never something be concerned about. This experience can build your wisdom and confidence with managing worries in the future.
Don't Worry, Be Happy
When was the last time you sang, danced, had fun, belly laughed, enjoyed a story, watched a sunset, made a friend, worked on a stimulating project, played with children or animals, did something completely new, or performed a spontaneous act of kindness? I keep my mind busy and heart full with happy-making activities throughout my week. This shuts out worries that creep in when I'm taking myself, life, and work too seriously.