5 Steps to Diminishing Worries

Worries are like acne; they don't do anything for you, they're inconvenient and focusing on them isn't helpful, but forgetting about them is easier said than done.

Think back to the number of times you've been distressed, sometimes even to the point of physical symptoms. In retrospect, does the amount of stress you felt at the time feel worth it? Could you have come to a solution without the feelings of worry or stress? Usually the answer is yes, and you probably would have been much more productive in finding a solution had you kept your cool. Being that you're here now, the problem must have been solved.

A decent portion of the time, the worries we have involve something we have no control over, which makes them especially counter-productive toward the end we hope for. Or worse, by worrying so much, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy. So how do we combat these worries before they take us down a rabbit hole of made-up scenarios and 294829 Google searches?

Start by identifying the source of your worry

This isn't always what is on your mind at the moment, so you may have to do some digging to find the true source of your worries. You may be worried about your upcoming conversation with HR, but is that really what is worrying you, or is your worry that you'll be fired and will not having enough income to pay your bills on time the rest of the month?

Identify the worst case scenario

Time to dig a bit further. What is the worst case scenario if the thing you are truly worried about came true? Sticking with the income scenario, worst case scenario for most would be moving in with a friend or family member (for most of us), reducing expenses, selling items, and/or asking for extensions on payments.

Identify the likelihood of worst case scenario

Your worst case scenario has to be something that could realistically happen, but let's keep in mind that it is worst case scenario for a reason! It's an outlier, making it unlikely to happen at all or in its entirety.

Identify the solution to worst case scenario

If you're reading this, you're alive and that means none of your problems have gone entirely unsolved, even if it required a big adjustment or life change. So if in the odd chance that worst case scenario did happen, how do you solve it to get back or as close to life as you know it? This may mean finding a new job and slowly rebuilding back to where you were pre-unemployment.

Accept

In this stage, we accept that worst case scenario may happen and that we may have to go through with the solution we planned out. This is the worst that can happen, and we acknowledge that we can, and WILL make it through.

Worries come from the unknown- what will happen and what will I do about it? How will my life look? By going through the mental exercise of identifying those unknowns, and in particular, the most dreaded fears we have, and deciding that we can persevere through that scenario, we can alleviate most of our worries.