Escaping the black hole of worry

by Bryan Golden

Worry is an all-consuming black hole which drains your time, emotions, and physical wellbeing.  Worry is insidious because you are so used to it that you aren’t aware how often, or how readily, you worry.  For some people, worry is a way of life.

We grow up being taught, by example, to make worry a regular activity.  We worry about what happened.  We worry about what is happening now.  We worry about what might happen.  We worry about what others will do.  We worry about what other people won’t do.  We worry about just about everything.

Worry becomes a default reaction to uncertainty.  At the very least, worry is like being in a rocking chair; it’s a lot of activity which doesn’t get you anywhere.  At its worst, worry causes, or worsens, physical and mental ailments.

Some of the many conditions worry can be responsible for include stress, anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure, coronary issues, sleep disorders, and eating disorders.  Ironically, people commonly react to the onset of these maladies by worrying even more.

Taking control of and reducing worry has no negative side effects.  The only impact of this strategy is a substantial improvement in your quality of life, and a markedly higher level of happiness.

Regardless of how much you currently worry, you can substantially decrease the level.  This starts with recognizing how much you worry and then making a commitment to doing what it takes to reduce the degree to which you worry.  Here are some practical strategies for reducing worry.

Stop worrying about the past by recognizing there is nothing you can do to change it.  There are two lessons to be learned from your past; what worked and what did not.  Eliminate any behavior which does not bring you your desired results.  Keep repeating those actions which have been successful.  Past bad decisions are counteracted by making better decisions now.

Issues, which you are concerned about, fall into two categories.  There are those things which you can’t do anything about.  Since there’s nothing you can do about them, let each one go.  Your energy is better spent with the second category, those things you do have influence over.  With these issues, replace worry with action by taking the necessary steps required to accomplish your objective.

Keeping things in perspective reduces worry.  Many of the things you worry about don’t matter, or are irrelevant.  Don’t devote any time to them.  They are not worthy of your attention.  Ask yourself if what you are worried about today will matter 5 years from now.  If it won’t, save yourself the 5 years and stop worrying about it now.

Have positive expectations for today and tomorrow.  Don’t think about what you don’t want.  Do not become embroiled in an endless cycle of what if scenarios of what could go wrong.  Instead, focus your concentration on visualizing exactly what you want to achieve and how you want your future to look. 

There is a solution for every problem.  Your objective is to find it.  Stop rehashing problems over and over, from every possible angle.  Identify a problem once, and then get to work fixing it.  Solutions are only implemented through action. 

Believe in yourself.  You have what it takes to live the life you want.  You can attain your goals.  Your past does not limit you, it prepares you.  Don’t allow bad experiences to pollute your future. 

You can escape the black hole of worry.  Start making positive changes today.  Implement at least one of the above strategies.  Once you have done so, add another.  In less time than you realize, your worrying will substantially diminish.

Bryan is the author of “Dare to Live Without Limits.”  Contact Bryan at Bryan@columnist.com or visit http://www.DareToLiveWithoutLimits.com.