Do you know people who are always worried about things? Do you happened to be one of those people yourself. If so, do me a favor. STOP. You are driving yourself F@#ING crazy. Worrying about anything is one of the most useless functions of your brain. To me it’s one of those things I wish we could disinvent. The energy you put into worrying is unbelievably draining emotionally and believe it or not physically.
Let me break the insanity of worrying down for you. This is an idea I learned not only through my own life experience, but also through Tony Robbins. Do you know that worrying about something bad happening is actually worse than if that thing actually happened?
When you worry about things, you play this worst-case scenario over and over in your head. Given that your mind has no ability to distinguish between what’s imagined and what’s real, that is like having that event happen to you over and over again. It’s amazing that this same function that allows us to accomplish miracles also can slowly destroy our lives. To add to that when you play this worst-case scenario over and over in your head it is negative reinforcement that actually changes your physiology. I’ll give you a few little experiments to prove this to yourself.
Exercise 1: Make Yourself F@$%$N Crazy and Worry
Step 1: Find something that you are worried about
Step 2: Give your attention to it, and star thinking about it in detail
Step 3: Notice any changes that occur in your body (breathing, facial expressions, muscles, etc, etc)
Step 4: STOP.
In case you didn’t notice, this probably made you feel pretty lousy. Now, here’s another exercise that I want you to try.
Exercise 2: The Antidote to Worry
Step 1: Take that same thing you are worried about and imagine it going exactly as you want
Step 2: Give your attention to it, and star thinking about it in detail
Step 3: Notice any changes that occur in your body (breathing, facial expressions, muscles, etc, etc)
You probably noticed a dramatic difference between the way these two things made you feel. So, how do you stop worrying. Simple, take exercise 2 and put it up prominently somewhere and look at it every time you start to worry. Eventually that will become your natural response.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Such a great post! Worry is SUCH a waste of time!
I agree completely. Worry is a waste of time. I posted a similar blog titled “How I learned the lessons of Hakuna Matata – No Worries.” It was one of my first posts, because I believe that it is so very important to overcome worry. Worry can become a hinderance to our growth and can interfere with every day life. I had a life lesson, learned in the ninth grade, that taught me to overcome worry. I’m so glad I paid attention, and got the message.
The no worry philosophy was expecially useful during my 3 months of unemployment earlier this year. Had I been busy worrying, I would have completely missed an opportunity to spend time with and enjoy life with my family.
Dani: Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Eric: I think that you and I have had a very similar experience. If I had spent all time worrying over these last few months I think I would have missed out on an opportunity for tremendous personal growth.
Why worry when you can live a life of fearless existence.
My wife is the worry-wart in our home. Drives me absolutely bonkers. She always asks “How do I “not worry?” I’ve tried some of your suggestions and they don’t seem to give much relief. Think I’ll have her read your post…
Great points, I’ve been worrying recently about work and the uncertainty of the future, but worrying really is a waste of time and energy, which could have been used to improve my future outlook. Thanks for the tips!
great post! the mind is such a powerful thing that learning to control it could greatly benefit ones life. Fool your mind to make its natural response a positive one!
So there are 2 things you can worry about – those you have control over and those you don’t.
If you’ve got control over it – it’s usually not as big a deal as it is in your head. Usually I find that when I finally take care of something I’m worrying about, it’s not nearly the problem I thought it was.
If it’s out of your control – it’s a serious waste of time (as you said above). I suppose you could plan for different outcomes, but usually I think I’m better off just rolling with whatever happens.