Living a worry-free life
Practical ways to reduce and stop worrying
So what?
We recently wrote a post about the toll of worrying too much. This post is about practical steps that you can take to reduce and stop worrying. The steps are split into three types of people: thinkers, doers and dreamers.
ICYMI, you know how difficult it is to stop worrying especially if you are the type to worry often. It is difficult for people to push out their negative thinking and relieve anxiety. Despite this, doing so has the following benefits:
- Be more productive by redirecting your energy to taking action and doing things that makes a difference;
- Better view of why you worry and learn coping strategies that work for you;
- Escape from the worry trap and calm your mind by easing your worries; and
- Manage your stress and reduce your anxiety.
Thinkers
You are a thinker if you think seriously and deeply and use your intellect to solve problems. Below are ways that you can reduce and stop worrying as a thinker:
- Do a body scan
- Differentiate what you can and cannot control
- Watch your favourite movie or TV show (but don’t go on a binge)
- Practice mindfulness and meditate
- Focus on your present and think about what’s around you
Doers
You are a doer if you act first to get things done instead of thinking seriously or deeply. Below are ways that you can reduce and stop worrying as a doer:
- Exercise by hitting the weights or going for a walk/jog/run
- Practice deep breathing
- Do some gardening
- Blast your favourite music while doing what you do
- Just get up and get your move on
Dreamers
You are a dreamer if you envision your worries instead of thinking or doing. Below are ways that you can reduce and stop worrying as a dreamer:
- Focus on your future
- Keep a journal of your future and what you are looking forward to
- Watch an inspirational movie
- Leave your worry in the past and envision the future
- Create a vision board of your dreams, wants and needs
My experience
When we purchased our forever home, the thought of having to garden a quarter acre block was a daunting task. My biggest (gardening) accomplishment of keeping a pot plant alive for 8 years motivated me to give it a go. What I learnt was that taking the first step was the hardest. I gave it a go starting with the mundane tasks of mowing and weeding and I surprisingly found joy and aspects of the task quite therapeutic (yes, in particular weeding). Even if you make some mistakes or hack some plants along the way, just take that first step and give it a go. You can do it!
What now?
- Determine the type of a person you are.
- Next time you are worrying, try one or two of the things above.