For the most part, we stop worrying when life feels like it’s going our way, and the weight on our shoulders tends to feel a lot lighter.
Perhaps you’ve received good personal news or started a new job position. We tend to be happy that we can celebrate these successes and progress in our lives rather than having pressing worries.
But sometimes, even when things are going well, we may start doubting. At the start of the year, I wrote a blog post on imposter syndrome that highlights ways we should stop doubting what we are called to do and live in our purpose and truth instead, which has some gems to check out.
In this article, I want to look into the ins and outs of why worrying, particularly excessive worrying will most likely do more harm than good to our mental health. And how it ruins the focus on positivity and blessings we have.
So, let’s redirect that negative thinking and welcome ways to stop falling into a worry cycle pattern.
Why Do We Worry So Much?
Excessive or chronic worrying may be something some of us have always been known to do or it could be completely new to us. It is impacted by various factors including:
- Life experiences, i.e., traumatic events, bad news, drastic changes
- Not feeling like you’re in control and starting to overthink
- Being genetically predisposed to anxiety
- Mental health reasons, including anxiety disorder and depression
So, understanding what the main factor could be that is causing us to have a worrying habit will help us respond in the best way to release those negative feelings in our everyday lives.
Once established, you’ll notice you can reduce your heart rate and redirect your attention to something more uplifting to your mental and physical health.
So here are some tips to help you stop a cycle of worry and instead have a mental health breakthrough:
Focus on What You Have Control Over
You have control over a lot of things in your daily life. You may not even realise how powerful this control is. But by understanding what aspects are for you to take charge of, the better you can grow within yourself and reduce the chronic worry time you spend.
Your Dreams/ Aspirations
One aspect of your life you have control over is your dreams and aspirations. You know what makes you happy, what you desire and the path you wish to take to reach these goals.
For example, you could have dreams of getting into a secure relationship or developing the one you have. By removing a time frame and letting things fall into place, you remove any rush or stress response that could be limiting you and embrace the fullness of the relationship you have with yourself and others.
Your Opinions
We live in a society where other people’s opinions of us shouldn’t matter, but in some ways they do. How you choose to live your life shouldn’t be up for discussion, unless you intend to harm others and it causes a concern. Ultimately, we should have opinions on things that count.
Your Attitude
This is key when it comes to tackling negative thought patterns or even feelings of anxiety. If you can tell yourself to redirect any excessive worry into something more lighthearted, you have a way of subverting those thoughts that would put you down and instead, create space for something positive.
It’s not easy to redirect your thoughts at times, especially if they feel overwhelming and you start to overthink. But the more you can have a better attitude toward your circumstances, no matter how difficult, the better it will seem.
Remember to be Grateful
Even during your trials when the worry feeling starts to fester, I want you to remember that you have so much in your life to be thankful for. Like, remembering those special people you hold dear, the beauty in your everyday surroundings, and the prospect that your life will only get better.
Some other things to be grateful for may include:
- Your health
- Your loved ones
- Your pets
- Your home
- Food and resources
- Your spiritual guidance (God, leaders)
- Your job
- Your education
It’s Time For Self-care
It may be time for you to take a break. This could be in the form of relaxation techniques like meditation, spa days, low-intensity exercises, and even taking a hot bath to reduce your worry time.
We all benefit from rest, whether we feel we need to take a minute or not, we most likely do. It could be as simple as starting with breathing exercises to reduce any physical symptoms that we’re worried about.
Then we can tap into self-care methods that involve making ourselves a priority. It may be as small as having a good night’s sleep until you fall into the routine of getting enough consistent hours.
It could then progress into something more external like getting your hair done. Because the phrase ‘when you look good, you feel good’ has a lot of truth.
You could also be meeting up with people who bring you joy, or scheduling counselling sessions to work on your internal self-care habits before working on the externalised constant worrying.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, worrying is normal. But when it progresses into something more excessive, then you should start to think about ways to reduce how much you worry and try to stop it altogether.
We all go through good and bad seasons in our lives, but thankfully, the ones where we find ourselves struggling are only temporary, although they can sometimes feel like they drag on forever.
And that’s where focusing on the things we have in our control, being grateful, and taking time to rest come in. We have the power to say we no longer want to be stressed and worried about things we have no say over. So, why remain negative when positive thinking will feel so much better?
These tips are easier said than done, and it’s not that easy for everyone to apply. But with time, it can be more achievable. But I hope you found these methods helpful if excessive worrying is something you are trying to deal with. If you have any other useful techniques, feel free to let me know.
God bless,
Seraphina
Words By Seraphina 