How to Stop Worrying

By eHow Health Editor

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Helping yourself stop worrying involves a combination of challenging the worrisome thoughts and calming yourself physically and emotionally.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Journal
Stress Management Counseling
Stress Relief Products
Massage Gift Certificates
Personal Organizers
Writing Pens
Relaxation Videos

Step1

Write down what you are worried about in a journal. Include your imagined worst-case scenarios.

Step2

Think about how you would handle your worst-case scenarios.

Step3

Take action on what you can change or have some control over that could reduce your worrying.

Step4

Look over the worrisome thoughts that you feel you can't take any action on. Consider which are excessive or distorted and have very little basis in reality.

Step5

Take each of these worrisome thoughts and write down an alternative thought that is more realistic, as a believable challenge to the worry.

Step6

Try to catch yourself when you notice yourself worrying. Stop and tell yourself the alternative thought.

Step7

Practice relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. A simple thing you can do to help quiet your mind and calm your emotions and body is to breathe in slowly to the count of six and breathe out slowly to the count of six. Do this for 5 minutes; gradually increase to 20 minutes over time.

Step8

Learn to accept what you cannot change or have no power to control in life. Check our recommended books that deal with worry, anxiety, acceptance and inner peace. Check our bookstore for titles related to psychology, self-help and spirituality. Type these keywords into the product search for a complete listing of great books.

Tips & Warnings

If you need to, get help from others in coming up with challenges to your worrisome thoughts. They can often present you with a different perspective on things.
Many people find spiritual teachings or belief in a higher power extremely helpful in decreasing worry and having more trust in life.
Seek professional help from your doctor or a psychotherapist if your worries are interfering with your daily functioning or causing you significant distress.

Comments

Anonymous said

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on 8/23/2006 Receive a massage from a trusted friend or professional at least once a month. I feel fully relaxed and renewed for a few days after each session.

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 The same people
always seems to bear the bulk of responsibility.If we stop
to tell them, in a positive tone" if it's that
important, others will see it, and help. It's less stress
than thinking "if I don't do it, it won't get done".

Anonymous said

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on 8/8/2006 I think it's important to memorize short, helpful hints to use when the going gets rough. Thinking about them calms me down. Here are a few of my favorites:

My Mom (probably like your's) had lots of sayings when I was growing up. This one was almost a mantra:

"This too shall pass."

In 'The Course In Miracles', there are a couple of phrases that really help, too:

"I can see peace instead of this."

"Be not afraid and let your world be lit by miracles."

Finally, this came from Ralph Blum's Rune Interpretation:

"We do without doing and everything gets done."

Finally, as I've gotten older, I've realized that most of the stuff I worry about generally works out, and if I just focus on the solution, the problem or worry goes away.

Anonymous said

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on 7/2/2006 "A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary."
~ Seneca

Anonymous said

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on 3/31/2006 All the tips here are great! And I have tried them all, I have all the books too. I learned worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere! I'm 65 and been worrying all my life, does that makes me a professional? After years of exhausting myself with Worry (and he sometimes brings his friend Fear with him) I decided to make Worry a friend. I thank it for coming, but let it know that it cannot stay long; "Oh, I see your back, you weren't gone long were you? OK, I proved to you that my son was going to get through his problems, so now you want me to worry about my health? Fine, I will wallow in worry and work myself up to cancer until your friend Fear comes over, then we will all go to the doctor and let him settle it, (worry and fear really hate logic) then you really must go because I have a lot to do." I have a hard and fast rule that he can only stay until 4 o'clock on Friday (and believe me, if you do it often enough, no matter where you are you will suddenly feel better,look at your watch and it will say 4 o'clock). I always thank Worry for coming, because he is trying to tell me something about myself. Usually that I am too wrapped up in myself of late and I should go and give a cookie to a kid or something.

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