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Don't Worry!
31/05/11 14:09 Filed in: Top Tips
1. Realise it’s OK not to worry
Occasionally, worrying can serve a useful purpose by bringing our attention to something that needs dealing with and spurring us into action. Usually, however, worry serves no useful purpose at all and we’d be better off not doing it. Unfortunately, many of us have been conditioned to regard worry as a necessary part of being an adult (“It’s about time you started worrying about your career”) so it can take time to break the habit.
2. Talk it over with someone
Don’t worry alone. Discussing things with a trusted workmate, mentor or friend can help to reduce worry. You may get some good advice or a useful alternative perspective. Often, however, just having the opportunity to talk things through with someone can help you to work out your own solution to a nagging problem.
3. Make contingency plans
If you are worrying about a possible future event that hasn’t occurred yet, try sitting down and planning what steps you will take if the worst happens. Doing this can help you to regain a sense of control over your life. Start by making a list of the things you fear may happen and prepare a contingency plan for each of them.
4. Schedule your worrying for later
If you find yourself preoccupied by worries when you should be sleeping or getting on with other tasks, plan to worry later. Some people find that keeping a worry list, or even a worry calendar, allows them to put their concerns aside because their minds are reassured that they will return to the issue at the allotted time.
5. Do something!
Worry is often the result of procrastination. The longer we put off something unpleasant, the greater its negative influence over our lives may become. If this is the cause of your worrying, give yourself a deadline and stick to it. In the workplace, this kind of worry can be linked to a lack of social confidence or assertiveness, so communication skills training might help you to be more proactive.
6. Let it go
Finally, people frequently worry about things over which they have no real influence. If there’s nothing you can do to change or prevent the thing you are worrying about, treat your worrying as a stress-management issue. Get some exercise, do some deep breathing or distract yourself by doing something enjoyable with friends or family. Calm, resilient people are, in any case, better at dealing with the problems life throws at them.
© Will Moore 2011