How to Stop Worrying So Much When Your Mind Won’t Let Go

Worry is as useless as a handle on a snowball.   ~ Mitzi Chandler

Worry can make your mind feel like it is trying to protect you, but never actually lets you rest. You replay conversations, imagine worst-case scenarios, and try to solve problems that may never happen.

If you can’t stop worrying, it does not mean you are weak or broken. It usually means your mind is looking for certainty, control, or reassurance. The goal is not to shame yourself for worrying. The goal is to learn how to work with your thoughts so they do not run your whole day.

Ditching your worry mindset is all about changing your perspective.

Worrying Isn’t the Real Problem.  Your Perspective Is. 

God bless my mom, I loved her as much as any daughter could love a mother, but mom never shifted away from her worry perspective.  In fact, if anything, she clung to it more tightly with each passing year.

We don’t have to look at the world through a worrier’s perspective if we don’t want to.  I have a choice to change.  You have a choice to change.   Change will not come for any of us if we are determined to cling to the same thinking patterns while doing the same things we’ve always done.

Dumping the worry habit won’t happen by magic, it will happen by embracing a deep commitment to adopting a brighter, more hopeful perspective about our lives and the world.  This will not feel normal or comfortable at first.   In time, it can become our second nature.

I Want to Stop Worrying So Much.  Where Do I Begin?

If you’re ready to move away from worry and towards a more peaceful, happier life, the first step is to make a decision that you want to change.  Then, start tapping into the tools of replacing one habit with another, in this case, exchanging worry for peace of mind.

Here are six of the BEST tools that’ll help you break your worry habit:

1  Be the observer of your thoughts. Rather than engaging with every worrisome thought that pops into your head, recognize a thought as simply your monkey mind flipping through the channels for something that will intrigue you. Worry isn’t intriguing, so when it pops up, switch the channel to something more uplifting.   (A great resource on this subject is Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now.)

2  Realize that worry is useless. Worry has no protective or preventative powers. It does not make you more focused on a subject or situation, only more agitated by it.  Worry only hurts, it never helps.

3  Make the decision to live intentionally. Decide you want to live in joy and declare that intention boldly and often.  When you’re clear about your intentions of how you want to live your life, you tend not to be distracted by the things that distract you from what matters most … in this case, keeping your peace.   (A great resource on this subject is Wayne Dyer’s The Power of Intention.)

4   Affirm that you are strong enough to handle whatever comes your way. Start expecting good things to happen instead of always expecting the worst.  Even if you don’t believe these thoughts at first, practicing positive affirmations will help you bring these positive expectations into your heart.  (I’ve placed a few example affirmations at the end of this post, but if you want to dig deeper, a great resource on positive affirmations is Louise Hay’s Book, You Can Heal Your Life.)

5  Trust in the ultimate goodness of life. As Einstein once said, the most important decision you’ll ever make is deciding whether you believe the universe is friendly or unfriendly.  Start believing life is on your side and is rigged in your favor.

6   Put your faith in a higher power. Put your faith in divine love and grace to support you …  you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders (nor should you!).

When you ditch your “worrier’s perspective,” miracles can unfold in your life.  You will experience more joy … more peace … and far, far less stress and anxiety.    It’s a great shift to make.   The only question is, will you commit to shifting your perspective?  I hope you do.

Affirmations:

• A shift in perspective is all I need to move from worry to peace.

• I enjoy switching things up in my life … as I seek new experiences and perspectives, an even more beautiful world unfolds for me.

• I see the world from a perspective of gladness and joy, and thus, I experience a world filled with gladness and joy.

• I release worrisome thoughts immediately and quickly embrace thoughts with the higher vibrations of joy, love, peace, and hope.

Worry Reduction Exercise – Change Your Perspective

Worriers get stuck in the same old patterns brought on by always seeing life from the same old perspective. Today’s exercise is about gaining a different perspective on your life by mixing things up in your life in a small yet noticeable way.

This exercise will serve as a reminder next time a worrisome thought pops up that you can shift your perspective and see your life in a new, more positive way.

So, how will you shift your perspective today?    Change your routine in some small way.  Well … not too small … make sure it’s big enough that you’ll notice the difference.

Here are some ideas:

• Park your car in a different location than you normally would park it (just don’t forget where you parked!).
• When in a meeting, or at church, or at a movie, if you normally sit on the left, sit on the right. If you normally sit in the back, sit in the front.
• Eating out? Go to a new place for dinner.  Eating in?  Try a new recipe using ingredients you don’t typically use.
• Take a different route to work or wherever you might be going.
• Sit in a different place in your home than you’d normally sit.
• Sleep on the opposite side of the bed.
• Brush your teeth with a different hand than what you typically use.

It doesn’t matter what you do to see or experience your world differently, just make sure you do something.  Then, let the memory of that effort serve as a reminder for you when worrisome thoughts emerge that may be all you need is a switch in perspective.