Understanding the Origin of Worry and 3 Strategies to Break the Cycle

The Origin of Worry

Worrying is a natural and human experience. Your daily life is guided by sneaky little thoughts which start with what-if scenarios that snowball into catastrophic thinking.

The aim is to catch worrying thoughts early and address them before they spiral.

1. Awareness

Understanding the patterns that trigger worry is the first step to breaking free from its grip.

• Recognize Triggers: Identify situations, thoughts, or events that trigger your worry. Take the time to reflect and assess the reasons behind it. Keep a worry journal to track your thoughts to help isolating irrational fears from realistic concerns.

• Action Plans: When worries are based on specific problems, create an action plan to address them. Break the problem into smaller steps and tackle them one at a time.

2. Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves staying present in the current moment rather than getting lost in future uncertainties. We all think about the future and we want with our actions taken today as much as possible control the outcome of the future. But the future is unpredictable. Practicing being in the moment helps you to understand that you are the master of your life, and life happens today. 

• Mindfulness Practices: Engage in mindfulness practices like meditation or just practice a hobby that keeps your mind off things.

3. Concentrate on the Positive

We all tend to remember negative experiences or interactions more than positive ones-they stand out more. We tend to focus on all the bad rather than all the good. What if the key is to trick your mind and to think about all the positive that could happen?

• Reframe Thoughts: Replace negative or catastrophic thinking with more realistic, positive and constructive thoughts.

• For instance, instead of thinking, "I will not be able to do that", shift your mindset and believe  "Yes it will be challenging but I will take one step at a time and if necessary I will ask for help". Instead of being lead by fear and reasoning about all the things you could loose, reflect on all the new opportunities that could open up and all the new things you could win. 

Worrying is guided by your mind-don't let it be your worst enemy !