No matter who you are, or what your experiences have been, everyone deals with worry.
Worry is to think about something negative over and over. Worry is a form of anxiety. Worrying is an ineffective use of our creative genius. Many people worry about things that are beyond their control. The majority of what people worry about never happens. So why do people choose to worry?
It’s almost as if people act like worry is a person that forces them to think worry thoughts. Worry is not a person, worry is a choice. Worry is not a person that comes to sit down next to you to say, “Hey, why don’t you worry about how this situation is going to turn out? Come on, it’ll be fun.” No, worry is a thought path that we choose to take; no one can make us choose to worry. Even if it were possible for worry to be a person that spoke to us, we could always choose not to listen!
People worry about all kinds of things. It could be a situation at work, a challenging relationship, a problem with a key client, or a new customer. It could be your kids, grandkids, or some other family member. The list of things that people worry about is virtually endless. For most people, once they entertain one drop of worry it opens the flood gates for worry to overwhelm their mind. Worry gnaws at your insides like a termite gnaws on wood. It scratches you like a proverbial piece of sandpaper. It bothers you like a leaky faucet that won’t stop dripping in the middle of the night. We all know how worry makes us feel, and how unproductive it can be. This begs the question, how do we deal with worry thoughts effectively?
Here are three (3) effective ways to deal with worry:
1) Find a positive distraction.
One of the best ways to get rid of a bad habit is to focus on creating a good habit. The same is true for worry thoughts. You cannot really get rid of a thought as much as you can replace it with a positive thought. Instead of worrying how a bill will get paid, use your creative energy to discover ways to create wealth. Is there an additional service that you can provide to clients that will enable you to raise your rates? Instead of fretting over whether you will gain 5lbs or not, why not go for a brisk walk or stop by the gym before or after work for a 30-45 minute workout. Don’t sit and stew in your unproductive thoughts, get up and find a positive distraction that will spark your creativity, and make you feel better in the process.
2) Take action.
No matter what your situation is, sitting and feeling bad about it is not going to help anything. Do the required research, talk to whoever you need to talk to, brainstorm by yourself of with a creative group of friends, but at the end of the day, you need to make a move. Act on the plan that you have. Even if you don’t feel like you know what to do, figure out what the best move is for the time being, and set out on that path. You may not have all of the information that you feel that you need, but you probably have enough information to make a solid decision. Make your decision, and take the action that is needed.
3) Filter your communication.
One of the secrets to breaking a cycle of worry thinking is to stop talking about the thing that has you feeling worried. Brian Tracy says, “Never say something about yourself that you do not sincerely want to be true.” For example, if you are dealing with a financial challenge in your business or personal life, don’t go around saying I’m broke, I can’t afford it, I’ll never get out of this financial problem. Cut that out! Instead of complaining, say something like, “I may be dealing with a financial challenge right now but I have a plan in place and I am working out of it. Things are turning around for my good.” You can use a positive attitude and a plan to turn almost any situation in your favor, whether it’s in your business, your career, your family, or your health. Speaking negative, perpetuates the negative. Speaking positive, short circuits negative outcomes, and fuels positive results. If you catch yourself speaking negative, just correct yourself. Don’t condemn yourself or call yourself stupid, just say, “Oops, that’s not what I meant to say. I meant to say things are going to work out just fine.” If you find it too difficult to counteract the negative talk with positive talk, then just don’t say anything at all. By the way, we begin to believe whatever we repeatedly hear ourselves say. Therefore, we should continually think and speak positively, since staying positive can only help. Put a positive filter on your communication. If you are thinking or speaking negatively about yourself, other people, or your situation, just filter it by choosing to speak and think positively. Filtering your communication will help you to eliminate worry. Worry is nothing but a habit, and habits can be changed. Worry is like spam, you don’t have to receive it if you don’t want to.
Practice the above three keys and you’ll be able to effectively deal with worry.
Question: Why do people seem to find it so difficult to stop worrying? What methods do you use to counteract worry?
I look forward to reading your answer.
Turn Your Setbacks into Accelerated Comebacks,
Craig L. Sanders
“The Comeback Specialist”
P.S. To inquire about Craig's book, "Keys to Manifesting Your Destiny", his coaching packages, or to have him speak at your event, please visit his website: http://www.craiglsanders.com/
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