I’ll begin by emphasizing the importance of this blog topic. Far too many of us spend far too much time investing in the act of worry—with no payoff. Imagine what most of us could have done with the time we’ve spent fretting. Better yet, imagine what you could accomplish when you decide to send your worries packing.

Why worry?

Typical worriers somehow believe that worrying plays a role in keeping them safe. They suffer from endless agonizing and, therefore, thwart the possibility of bad outcomes. If this were so, believe me I’d join in on the worry party. But, it’s not.

Worry comes from learned brain activity. In other words, you taught yourself what to worry about, when to worry, and how to worry. Perhaps—for whatever reason— you worry that something bad might happen. Whether it does or not, you’ve taught yourself to kick in the worry response. Now it’s time to un-learn it—if you will. Learn how to trust that you’ve done all you can to preclude a crisis. In the event that it still occurs, understand that you have the resilience to bounce back.

Before I offer you suggestions for eliminating worry from your daily “to-do” list, think about what a person actually gets out of worrying. How does it give back to the person who has selected it as their preferred activity? For one, worry allows people to avoid change. The act impedes on the person’s ability to take action because of being caught up in feelings of uneasiness and preoccupation. Also, worry makes people give away their power. Once worriers opt to wallow in the indecisive pool of anxiety, this is what controls them. This is what they have chosen—over living in the moment. Finally, choosing to worry gives people a false sense of purpose. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve been worried for hours!” They mean it! They’ve invested hours into a senseless, useless activity that has given them a false sense of purpose.

Two-step solution

            I’ll say it again: if I could find the benefit or the payoff for time spent worrying, I’d give the activity more consideration. But, I found a better way—and it’s only a two-step process:

  1. Separate and list all of your concerns into two categories:
  • Things I can control
  • Things I cannot control
  1. Control what you can and surrender the rest to destiny.

It’s that simple!