Managing Worry
Not all worry is negative. If you are reading this article, it is likely that your worrying is getting out of hand and it has led you to search for ways to learn to manage this worry.
Worry can be useful to motivate you such as to study for an important exam or to be cautious about buying a new house. But, if your worry is unproductive and you are worrying about things over which you have little or no control, your worry is no longer useful and is probably detrimental to your peace of mind and happiness.
My Appointment with Worry
If you’re a fan of classic movies, you may recall a quote from Gone with the Wind where Scarlett O’Hara, famously stated when confronted with conflict: “I can’t think about that right now. If I do, I’ll go crazy. I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Granted, Scarlett was facing post-civil war hardships like disease, starvation, and love triangles, but little did Scarlett know she was practicing a common and effective Cognitive Behavioral technique to cope with worry. She was postponing her worry and focusing on the present situation.
Setting aside a worry period (typically 30 minutes at the end of the day) is often effective for chronic worriers. It allows you to get your “worry fix” without allowing worry to take over your whole day.
Where is the ‘here and now’ and how do I get there?
Being present, getting “out of your mind,” being in the here and now: As with anything worth learning, it takes time, especially if you want to become skilled.
The easiest way to do this is to start by observing your worry. You can do this during your designated worry period or any time worry comes to your mind. Observing your worry means looking at your worry as if from an outsider’s perspective, but don’t judge the worry.
Different Points of View
Another way to manage your worry is to look at the worst case, best case, and most likely scenario. Many times, chronic worriers play out the worry scenario in their minds like a movie, but they stop the movie after a disastrous outcome.
Our worries are often nonsensical, catastrophic, creations of our minds. Asking ourselves these questions and actually making some sense of our worries can shed a more realistic (and positive) light.
These are just a few of the many techniques and coping strategies available to manage worry.
If you would like some help with worry and anxiety, please feel free to ring me on 0411098583 or email on elaine.lopis@gmail.com
