My Mom used to say that if you're thinking about your worries, your shoes aren't tight enough. Well, my tight, blister forming shoe days are long behind me, thank you very much. Instead of wearing blisters on your heels (or worse, between your toes), here are some ways to turn that worry energy into something productive that will benefit your life and health.
Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere. – Erma Bombeck
Set a Short Term Goal
This should be something easily achievable with only 1-3 steps that are manageable. An example is if you are worrying about finding a job, you set a goal of updating your resume, or a goal of calling 3 contacts who might be helpful, or setting up an appointment with an employment agency. The point is to identify several easy action items that will help you to move forward instead of being stuck in stress mode.
Communicate with Loved Ones
Let people know you worry, because it shows you care and also will help to explain behaviors. It can also help just to express the worry and get it off your chest so that then you can clear your mind and try to make the rest of the day positive. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay too, you can still call or message loved ones just to reach out and connect. Talking to a dear friend or family members can lower the stress of worry and help keep you grounded.
Check Something off Your To Do List
Need to run an errand, wash the car, balance the budget? The choices might not be fun but they will be a productive distraction and give you an immediate sense of accomplishment. This will help to counter the stress and worry hormones with relief that the task is now behind you.
Clean Something
This is one of the fastest ways to get immediate gratification. Clean off the stove, organize the fridge, or detail your car. Put on some loud music and give your best karaoke attempt.
Rearrange Furniture
This not only gives you a mini workout, it also gives you a whole new feel to your space. Try out a new arrangement for a few days and see how you like it. It can be really refreshing to walk in to a space that suddenly looks different, especially after years of the same.
Take a Walk or Drive
Sometimes you just need to get out of your own head and out of a worry rut. Taking a scenic drive or a nature walk can restore the soul. Take your time, look around, and notice all of the beauty around you. Studies show that stress and worry lessen just by being outside.
Play More
Have kids or a pet? playing with them is a great distraction from worry. And by playing I mean put away electronics and actually do something with them, out in the yard or down on the floor, being in that moment. The exception to this is using electronics to play one of their video games along with them. If you don't have kids or pets, find your own type of play and just spend some time doing what you really love to do.
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. – Swedish Proverb
Pray on It
Often our worries are big. Bigger than me, bigger than you, bigger than what even an entire village can manage. Some of our worries aren't worries at all, but are full blown crises. When this happens for me, I have to pray about it, pray through it, and hand it over. Will I still stress over it? Probably, because the women in my family all have a genetic predisposition for severe worry and angst. But prayer helps me to worry a lot less, and to gain a sense of peace, and to realize that there is something else out there bigger than even my biggest worries. If prayer is new to you, or you just want to read up on another perspective, check out my post on how to pray.
Count Your Blessings
Our brains don't like to try to juggle worry with gratitude, so by focusing on what you have and are thankful for can help to regulate worry and stress. Gratitude in general has been proven to increase better sleep, increase immune systems, and decrease aches and pains. Can I buy a jar of this over the counter please? Practicing being grateful reinforces positive thinking and helps keep us from falling into the habit of constant worry or negative thoughts, and puts you back in charge of where you want to spend your focus.
All of these are intended to do one really life changing thing: take control over your thoughts and actions in a way that makes you feel better. By using up all of that worry energy in a productive manner, we can get closer to the life we want to be living.
How do you best avoid worry in your life? Please share your thoughts with the rest of us so that we can all support one another. And if all else fails, grab a stiff pair of shoes and get to work on those blisters.
Love and blessings,
Dax
Comments