Hello friends,
This is a tale of a born “worry wart.” I’m convinced the trait is inherited, bonded tightly in my DNA, and no cure exists. I’ve worried about the serious challenges of my life and the most insignificant, mundane, and silliest things.
I’ve spent my life talking myself off the worry wheel. Sometimes it works. Then, it sneaks up on me, and I feel that gnawing feeling of apprehension, and thoughts start spinning.
A quick search uncovered a few experts with advice on how to stop worrying. “Worry is having ruminating thoughts that are concerning and repeated,” according to psychologist Kelli Johnson, Ph.D.
Animals don’t worry, but humans do. Worrying starts in the area of the brain responsible for emotional processing, the limbic system— the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and thalamus.
While it may begin there, I can tell you from experience that worry lives in the body. My stomach churns, my heart races, and my shoulders tense. Turns out, doctors agree that worry manifests in physical symptoms.
Told you so.
The experts offered three tips for coping with worry:
Pinpoint the worry. Identify it. Write it/them on paper.
Make a plan. If the worry is something within your control, plan how to address the issue.
Move on: If it’s not in your control, let it go.
Any self-respecting worrier will tell you it’s not that simple. As the ads claim, “Wait. There’s more.”
In addition to making a list and analyzing it, Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D. suggests a few more practical tips:
Embrace uncertainty. This is my personal “go to” tactic. As much as we want clear yes/no answers. Those rarely exist.
Bore yourself calm. Keep repeating the worry until you’re sick if hear it.
Make yourself uncomfortable. Lean into expanding your learning muscles. Trying a new sport or hobby comes with a period of discomfort before we feel competent.
Stop the clock. Turn off the urgency button. Not everything requires immediate action or solutions. Take the next step and breathe.
Remember, that it’s never as bad as you think it will be. That colonoscopy coming up? Well, the prep is a little uncomfortable and ugly, but the procedure—not so much.
Cry out loud. Not a whimper, let it all out!
Talk about it—another favorite of mine. All my worries sound less threatening when I tell them to someone. They lose their power over my mind.
My loving husband recognizes my propensity for making a mountain out of a molehill, sitting on pins and needles, or beside myself. This nervous Nellie receives sound, loving advice.
“Think about the chances of that actually happening. What are the odds?”
That one kinda works, but the ultimate worry reliever is a song he shared from Bob Marley. I often play it on a loop.
Don’t worry about a thing.
Cause every little thing gonna be alright.
Rise up this morning, smiled with the rising sun…
Brené Brown addresses the problems facing the worry warts of the world. Her advice helped me see the difference between anxiety and compulsive worrying.
Brené explains why anxiety and worrying are contagious and how to cultivate a calm practice.
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”
—Corrie Ten Boom
If you want to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
I always welcome your thoughts, so, please leave a comment or click the little heart.
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KATHRYN A. LEROY
Dear Friend
I have practiced medicine for more than thirty years as
a specialist. If I tell you my story you will not believe it.
In general nothing good comes easy.
Talk to good positive people.
Remember the following :
# All people around the world from different background will feel
and experience anxiety, so it is a normal thing to happen to everyone and at
all ages.
It is not normal if you don't experience anxiety in your life.
Anxiety is good physiologically to prepare the person to perform well
facing/during any problem in life to resolve it, the experience in life is very important .
Over anxiety reaction is abnormal the performance will go down (negative).
# Good family background during childhood
Process of learning and teaching skills in life is very important.
Close family ties help.
# Concentrate on EVERYTHING POSITIVE IN LIFE ,values and skills in life,
AVOID everything negative in life.
I mean it AVOID ALL NEGATIVE THINGS IN LIFE NO MATER WHAT THAT IS/ARE .
# Add more positive skills to yourself.
In this world we are living, we all need to have more than one skill to enable us to compete strongly
we need to have many skills example be a doctor and a businessman, and a writer and
an artist and a good flower plants expert and so on.
# Do things you like doing , don't do things you don't like doing .
# Concentrate on yourself and your family give them more skills they need in life.
Start at a very young age ( after birth immediately).Help children to explore the world.
# Enjoy what you are doing no matter how simple thing you are doing.
# Finally get everything new in life and be GOOD at it.
Leave your touch on everything you do in life.
# American society is a unique society, different from all other societies.
We like reading your writings with your nice touching photos.
Always improve yourself with everything you do and enjoy it.
Life is a beautiful gift for all
Wish you all the best
Sam John
IRAQ
I am one of your readers and following your writings
I am Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons in UK
Always look for new ideas
GOD BLESS
Sam John
IRAQ