Worrying about life can be a hard habit to break
IF WE let it, worry can become a habit that dominates our everyday lives. What’s more, it’s a habit that’s hard to break.
Often, the beliefs we have about worry keep the problem going. Take someone who describes him or herself as a worrier. They may feel that worrying is part of their personality and they just can’t help but worry.
The underlying belief here could be that worrying is outside of their control. Beliefs like this only reinforce the problem, so it’s really important to challenge negative beliefs if you want to break the worry habit.
Overcoming worry is not easy but it is possible. Below are some ideas to get you started.
Choose a 20-minute time slot each day that is specifically allocated for worry. During your worry period allow yourself to worry about whatever is on your mind but the deal is, no worrying for the rest of the day.
If you catch yourself worrying at other times, write your worry down in a notebook and then get on with your day. Remind yourself that you don’t need to worry now because you’ll have time for that later.
As you learn to postpone worry you will also be challenging the belief that you have no control over how much you worry. Work on your ability to tolerate uncertainty. It’s natural to want to feel in control so trying to predict the future and ruminating over worst case scenarios can seem like good strategies for dealing with life’s uncertainties. In reality, these strategies usually just fuel more worry.
If you find yourself worrying about imaginary “what ifs” remind yourself that this won’t stop bad things from happening, but it will stop you enjoying life in the present moment.
Allow yourself to feel difficult emotions. Worrying is a great way of avoiding emotions because it keeps your focus on your thoughts.
The problem is, worrying won’t make your underlying feelings disappear. There’s no right or wrong way of allowing yourself to feel.
Naming your emotions and talking to someone about how you are feeling can be a good place to start.