Self-Help Tips for Worrying
Tactics for reducing anxiety.
Posted January 3, 2020 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
There are two categories of worrying: about a specific issue or general worrying. Here are suggestions for each.
First, the obvious: Is there anything you can do now to reduce or even eliminate the worry? Examples:
Now let’s assume you’ve done what you want to reduce or eliminate the worry's rational basis. Ask yourself and perhaps write how you’d deal with the best-, moderate-, and worst-case scenario.
Let’s say you’re scared that your upcoming physical exam will yield bad news. Best case might be that you're fine or that it’s something minor that can, for example, be addressed with medication or by doing nothing and just watching it. A middle case might, for example, be a call for some test. You could decide to get the test over with and while waiting for the result, use the aforementioned tactics, and who knows, the results could be no big deal. And if it a big deal, perhaps you'd remind yourself that you can then take baby steps to deal with it. In the very worst case, it’s a fatal diagnosis in which case you could use the ideas in the just-mentioned example of end-stage cancer. Easier said than done.
Apart from specific worries, many people go through life with free-floating anxiety . They’re like the cartoon character who walks around with a cloud overhead, worrying they’ll be deluged by some havoc.
Such people live with an ever-present feeling that they need to be alert to possible danger: whether from a person, an event, or something internal. Like most characteristics, generalized anxiety likely comes from a combination of genetic predisposition, early environment, and the current situation. Some ways to reduce free-floating anxiety:
Routine. A life of predictable routines can be comforting.
Eliminate sources of stress:
Use calmers. For example,
As usual, one size does not fit all. Is at least one of the ideas here worth trying?
I read this aloud on YouTube.
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Marty Nemko, Ph.D ., is a career and personal coach based in Oakland, California, and the author of 10 books.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.