Don’t Be Shy

There are a number of things that can help to stop or reduce worry, the post how to stop worry examines 5 different methods.   But there is one thing I have found that has lead to the most worry conquering success.

It’s the thought that makes the worry.

It’s the thought that something unpleasant will happen that makes you worry.   If you leave this thought alone and don’t challenge it, it will slowly but surely increase in size. 
But now that you know the secret, how do you use it to your advantage?

1. Stop the worry before it grows.

Catch the thought, stop the worrying thought and think about something else.  It is far easier if you already have a “happy thought” in mind.  Learning to catch your thoughts takes time, when you first start you may find yourself worrying for a some time before you catch it. 

It can become such a habit that you worry without realizing and it can take a while to get to the point where you can stop those worries quickly.  But before this point you can still be successful at reducing your worries just by switching thoughts as soon as you realize that you are worrying.   This will also lead to you being able to catch worries quicker.

2. Is there anything you can do now, to stop or reduce the waiting time?

Sometimes there is the chance to take action NOW that can stop a worry from building and developing.   At high school when ever there were speeches or group presentations due, I always asked if I could go first.  Some people looked at me like I was mad, but I knew that once I had finished I could sit back and enjoy everyone’s speech.  If I was at the end of the speaking order I would sit and worry and not enjoy any of the other speeches.   Just by reducing the waiting time, reduced the worry time.

If you are a big worrier take a few moments to look at the real reason you worry.  Before you let the uncertainly worry you take a step back and look at the situation, ask; is there anything I can do now to stop or reduce the waiting?  If you still have to wait, watch your thoughts closely, catch any worry thoughts and replace them with happy, sitting on a warm beach reading and relaxing thoughts.