How to Quit Worrying
- 1). Schedule worrying. Give yourself a half an hour each evening before you go to bed to worry. Set an alarm clock or other timer for exactly 30 minutes. For that 30 minutes, write down every single thing you can think of to worry about. When the timer goes off, put down your pen and stop worrying. If you start to worry during the day, remind yourself that your worrying time is not until later and it will have to wait. Since your brain knows it will have a chance to worry later, it will be easier to let those thoughts go.
- 2). Postpone worrying. Once you have performed your scheduled worrying for a while, you will probably notice that your worries are lessening. You might not need that half hour each day. If this is the case, simply postpone your worrying. Each time a worry pops into your head, write it on a notepad or in your journal and tell yourself you will remember to worry about that later.
- 3). Brainstorm. Each time you find yourself worrying about something, sit down and come up with steps that you can take to solve the problem you are worrying about. Or better yet, do something about whatever it is you are worried about. By taking steps you will feel more in control and less prone to worry. Plus you will be working towards solving a problem, which means one less thing to worry about.
- 4). Find a quiet spot. Pray, meditate, daydream about good things or read a really interesting book. Soak in a bubble bath or ask your spouse to give you a massage. These calming, distracting activities will help you unwind and forget about your worries.
- 5). Go for a jog or take a walk. Worrying can be brought on by your fight or flight instincts. So if you are worrying about a situation and feel trapped, let your body's flight instinct win and burn up the energy physically rather than mentally. Not only is it better for your health, but the exercise will also produce serotonin, a "feel-good" chemical in your brain.
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