Category: Worry

Let’s talk some more about worry. It’s everyone’s favorite topic, right?

Last week I shared a three-step process to end worrying – by procrastinating!

This week let’s talk about the other side of it. You’ve gone through the steps and prepared all you can or there’s no planning you can do. It’s easy to say I’ll worry about it tomorrow, but it’s harder to put into practice.

Your brain won’t turn off the worry. So, now what?

Name it, recognize it and thank it.

Name it
Call it out. Take a deep breath (literally, take a deep breath) and acknowledge you’re worrying about it (whatever it is for you). Say it out loud.

Naming or identifying what it is you’re feeling can take some of the sting out. Name it briefly though, don’t spend a lot of time describing it.

Recognize it
Generally, we worry about things that are important to us. They can be important for a variety of reasons, an old rule we still abide by (I need to be liked by everyone) or a goal or commitment to ourselves (I want a new client because I need to pay my bills).  So, recognize why you’re worrying about it.

Thank it
Thank your brain or self for looking out for you and wanting to protect you. And let your brain (and all the other parts of you) know that it will be okay.

So, your statement might look something like this: I’m worried that I won’t receive another client because it’s important to me to have a business that pays my bills. Thank you brain for looking out for me, and I’ll be okay!

Breathe deeply before and after you say this. Take a moment to really get grounded and connected with yourself and you say this. Feel the gratitude and smile!

Repeat this as often as necessary! And if the same worry keeps coming up, this is an opportunity look at this with your coach.

What do you do address worrying? Share in the comments below.

I’m a worrier.  I worry about a lot of things.  Things like am I prepared for this, what if something goes wrong, will they like me (interestingly, I don’t worry if I’ll like them), am I dressed appropriately, etc.  I realized the other day that in response to my worrying, I tend to make plans.

For example, I worry about money, so I plan out a budget and do my best to stick to it.  I worry about being bored on trips (especially on planes), so I pack plenty of things to do.  I remember going on vacation as a kid and having a whole bag full of things to do (and being small enough that it fit on the floor in front of me because my feet didn’t quite hit the floor).

In those examples, I’d argue that my worrying had a good result, I planned in order to avoid the situation I worried about.  However, what about those things that you can’t plan for?  The worries of: will they like me or what if something goes wrong?  What do you do then?

Honestly, I still battle this and I heard a quote last week that I’m sure I have heard before, but it never really registered.

“Fiddle-dee-dee!  I won’t worry about that today.  I’ll worry about that tomorrow.  After all, tomorrow is another day!” ~ Scarlett O’Hara

It really struck me.  Procrastination we can use!  Imagine that.  So, next time you find yourself worrying about something ask yourself two questions: 1) Can I plan for it? 2) If not, can I worry about it tomorrow?  If so, repeat the questions tomorrow!

It sounds kind of silly, right?  Let’s take a look at two examples.

Will they like me?

1. Can I plan for it? Well, no not really.
2. If not, can I worry about it tomorrow? Absolutely.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 tomorrow!

What if something goes wrong?

1. Can I plan for it? I’ve done all the planning I can do!
2. If not, can I worry about it tomorrow? Yep.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 tomorrow.

The beauty of this is it gives you permission to stop worrying about it!  And a way to legitimately worry about it tomorrow (and in this case tomorrow never coming is a good thing!).

What do you do to stop worrying?