8 Ways to Stop Worrying About Every Little Thing
Nobody should expect to be worry-free. In our daily lives, worry and stress are inescapable. It is natural to feel nervous or have a restless night here and there, worrying whether you (or your loved ones) will pass the test, travel safely, or perform well on a key presentation.
Nonstop or excessive worrying, on the other hand, can be the core cause of anxiety, burnout, depression, and a variety of other mental and physical health issues. Learning how to stop worrying about everything will help you feel more at ease and preserve energy for more important things in life.
What Causes Us to Become Consumed by Worry?
According to research, about 60% of adult Americans felt worried every day in 2020. The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 expectedly increased concern and stress as people struggled to cope with uncertainty, illness, and fear.
A wide range of factors can cause our worries. For example, uncertainty is one of the main reasons people feel worried since we thrive on structure and a predictable routine. So, worry is a natural response to uncertainty. When you don’t know what to expect or what will happen in the future, your brain may create worst-case scenarios, resulting in stress, anxiety, and even panic.
Similarly, you may become consumed by worry if you believe you have no control over a situation, whether it is a complex problem you are dealing with, a difficult decision you have to make, or something that is actually out of your hands, such as illness, crime in your community, or a natural disaster.
Also, negative past experiences and environmental factors such as a serious illness, conflicts at home, or a high-pressure job can cause you to feel overwhelmed by worry.
However, your negative thought patterns, such as automatic negative thoughts and self-limiting beliefs, might consume you with worry and anxiety. For instance, if you constantly focus on the negative consequences of a situation, you may come to believe that those outcomes are unavoidable.
The Negative Effects of “Over-Worrying”
When worry becomes overwhelming and starts impeding your everyday life, relationships, and well-being, seeking professional mental health support may be helpful. When anxiety takes over your life, it affects your mental and physical health.
It’s Exhausting
It’s exhausting to worry all the time. Worrying about everything can drain your energy, break down your defenses, and stop you from wanting to pursue your goals. You might avoid or neglect tasks, people, personal hygiene, and daily life because you’re too tired to handle the world.
It Wreaks Havoc on Your Physical Health
Studies show excessive worry is linked to sleep disorders, headaches, back pain, stomach pain, muscle tension, and other health issues.?
How Can I Tell If I’m Worrying Too Much?
Persistent worry can easily develop into chronic stress, interfering with your daily life. Here are a few indicators that you are worried to the point of being unable to function:
How to Stop Worrying About Every Little Thing (8 Tips)
When you feel overwhelmed by worry, seeking help from a mental health professional is always a good idea. However, there are some things you can do for yourself to help you stop worrying about every little thing.
1) Schedule Yourself Daily “Worry Tims”
Even though setting aside time to worry may sound crazy (hey, I’m already consumed by anxiety! How is giving myself more time to “officially” worry supposed to help me?), this strategy actually works.?
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How? Time to worry is a technique in cognitive-behavioral work that can help you contain excessive worry, allowing you to focus on other things throughout the rest of the day and relieving anxiety.
Scheduling time to worry can also reduce rumination, preventing you from repeatedly repeating negative thoughts and thinking about something else. Finally, setting aside time to worry can help you actively search for solutions to the problems you’re concerned about, promoting a sense of control and confidence.
2) When “Worry Time” is Over, Move On
Scheduling time to worry relieves you of the “obligation” to worry all the time. So, after your worry time is up, go on to other activities and try not to think about the subject of concern again. This can help you experience less stress and anxiety.
3) Practice Meditation
Mediation is about training your mind to focus on the present moment. As such, meditation may be a helpful technique for dealing with worry and anxiety because it reduces reactivity and teaches you to step back and examine your thoughts without reacting or being judgmental.
4) Practice Breathing Exercises
Breathing relaxation can help reduce tension, improve focus, and improve self-control. So, when you feel overwhelmed by worry and fear, find a peaceful place, lay or sit down, and slowly breathe in and out several times while observing your thoughts without reacting to them emotionally. In addition, deep breathing lowers other stress-response indicators such as heart rate, cortisol levels, and blood pressure, helping you relax.
5) Talk Through Your Worries with Friends and Family
Discussing your concerns with people you trust can help you develop a more objective and balanced perspective on the things that bother you. This can help you better understand your problems and feel less anxious and isolated.
6) Keep a Daily Emotions Journal
Writing about your feelings can help you identify the root of your worry, address your triggers, set boundaries, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
7) Focus on Gratitude
Research shows that noticing the things you feel grateful for daily can help overcome worry and anxiety. Regular gratitude practice is a wonderful way to decrease stress, focus on positive things, and disrupt automatic negative thoughts.
8) Move & Exercise the Worry Away
Physical activity is an essential aspect of self-care that can help redirect your thoughts, boost happiness and optimism, and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.
Stop Worrying & Start Living Your Life
Life is too precious to let worry, and anxiety control it. Life transitions, unforeseen situations, and grief are inevitable. However, if you have learned to take all that life throws at you with radical acceptance, you will slow down and no longer worry about everything.
Coaching may assist you in letting go of your need to control situations, helping you experience gratitude on a deeper level, and teaching you how to avoid being emotionally triggered by your thoughts. If you want to stop worrying and start living your life, contact me to set up a free empowering conversation.
Stress no more! If you’re tired of feeling stressed out and constantly exhausted, consider enrolling in my stress management course providing you with six proven techniques to help you reduce and prevent stress.
Senior Executive across Finance, Media, Sport, Wellness Industries | Entrepreneurial Director with passion for Building Brands across diverse markets | Certified Trauma Informed Somatic Therapist
1 年Thanks for sharing this article ??Negative past experiences and environmental factors such as a serious illness, conflicts at home, or a high-pressure job can cause you to feel overwhelmed by worry...