A little worry is healthy. It keeps us thinking ahead and helps us prepare to deal with unforeseen misfortunes. However, if you worry too much, you make your whole life miserable and burden yourself with a lot of unnecessary stress. Read the steps below to learn how to control your worries and rekindle your passion for life.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Reducing Sources of Worry
Step 1. Reduce your collection
Despite the fact that today's technology is smaller and more useful than ever, we all seem to end up surrounded by things we don't use or care about anymore. It can feel like a pain to take the time and trouble to get rid of it, but you'll be glad you did once the task is done.
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Get rid of anything you haven't used in a year or so, unless it's very expensive or a family heirloom. Hold a garage auction, use eBay, or simply donate your extra dishes, clothes, toys, books, movies, games, and other items to charities.
Expensive items and/or heirlooms that haven't been used in a long time should be packaged gently and stored in the attic, basement, garage, or even bedroom cupboards that are rarely used
Step 2. Select a room
One of the most common prescriptions psychologists give for curing insomnia is to set aside a bedroom for sex and sleep alone. By creating a space dedicated and assigned to a particular activity, you are convincing your brain to engage in that activity every time you enter that space. Live this method as much as your space allows:
- Remove the TV, desk, computer, and other similar distractions from the bedroom. Store clothes and books there instead. Just spend time in the bedroom when you are changing clothes, picking up a book, going to bed, or having sex. Don't read in bed.
- Clean the clutter from your dining/breakfast corner table. If you don't have a dining area or breakfast corner, but you do have a table, clear that out. Use the table only for eating and paperwork (bills, studying, writing, and so on). Make a commitment to clean your plate after every meal.
- Take care of your kitchen. It's rare you'll ever get so many dishes dirty in one day that you can't manage to wash them all in 30 minutes at night. Clean every day so you can continue to use the kitchen for cooking and not have to worry about clutter.
- Include time-consuming activities in the office or living room. Keep computers, TVs, video game consoles, and items for other similar activities in common areas. Train your brain to associate these areas with recreational activities and hobbies. You'll be able to get work done in other, utilitarian areas of the home with much greater efficiency.
Step 3. Consider canceling your TV service
This is a drastic step for some, but scheduled TV programming can disrupt a daily schedule without which it would be sufficient. Most people feel that they don't miss TV service as much as they think after a few days without it. Instead, invest in a paid streaming video service, so you can watch TV shows when it's convenient for you.
- DVR sets that record TV shows for you to watch later are also a viable option if you can't stand the thought of waiting 8 months to watch a new season of your favorite show, but be sure to resist the temptation to turn on the TV just because it's there. Once you start watching, you usually spend more time than you intended, this clogs up the rest of your day and makes you feel like you have to hurry.
- Reducing Internet usage is also a good idea if you can manage it, but since most people also use the Internet for practical day-to-day business, this can be a lot more difficult. Start with the TV and see how it goes first.
Method 2 of 4: Organizing Your Life to Run Smoothly
Step 1. Set a budget
One of the simplest and most effective steps you can take to reduce the worry caused by your complex life is to budget your expenses. There's nothing mysterious or difficult about this:
- Track your expenses for a week or two. Don't worry about controlling it just yet; just spend as usual. You can track it on your phone or on paper.
- Divide your expenses according to common types of purchases. For example, many typical budgets have categories for gas, food, entertainment, and grocery shopping. Add up each category and multiply so that you have an estimate of your monthly expenses.
- Add another category for bill payments, and another for savings (if you're saving money). That's your budget. Try your best to stick to it in order to avoid having to worry about how much money you can afford to spend somewhere or the other.
- Your budget will also be useful in helping you make changes to save more money or reduce purchases in certain categories. Just subtract the number in one category, and add in another one that you like. Stick to that budget to effect change.
- Budget flexibly. Different days necessitate a different approach. Maybe you eat takeout every Monday night, or have a certain date with friends on a Saturday afternoon. So be aware of that fact and check your basic plan every morning in your head. Add time to take care of whatever else you need to take care of that day, with a little leeway on both sides.
Step 2. Set your time
You can set a budget for your time just like a budget you can set for your money. Since you're trying to reduce worry rather than increase it, enter into this process focusing on maximizing your personal time, rather than cramming as much as you can into each day.
- Set a sleep schedule. Obey, even on weekends. Give yourself a goal of an hour to sleep at night, and set a strict time to wake up in the morning. Make sure that the space between bedtime and the start of your day gives you roughly an hour more than the amount of sleep you actually need, so you don't lie down and start worrying about whether you'll fall asleep on time or not.
- Assign tasks at the same time every day. Plan time for daily cleaning, commuting, work, shopping, eating, and homework. Add time to other things you do almost every day, such as homework, exercise, or an active hobby. Place them in a specific order that suits you. All the time left is your free time which will be used for relaxation or whatever you want.
Step 3. * To maximize your free time, try to incorporate trips outside the home
For example, you might plan to go shopping on your way home from work, to cut down on the extra trip.
Step 4. * For many people, irregular work schedules make this kind of budget difficult, but you can still plan to tackle your schedule in the same order each day, and just shuffle it once in a while
Method 3 of 4: Take Control of Your Mind
Step 1. Take advantage of free time
It's easy to fill every moment of your free time with smartphone apps, browsing social media, TV, books, hobbies, and more, but it's not always a good idea. Sometimes what you need isn't a distraction, it's in its own time. There's not a lot of free time during the day for most people, but it's not hard to find some five-minute windows where you can leave it all behind and be alone with your thoughts.
Use your free time to think about whatever you want, or just lie down and look at the patterns on the ceiling or the leaves on the tree by the window. Don't fill it with anything that requires your attention to enjoy, like books or smartphones
Step 2. Take some time to clear your head
Even the most overworked adult can find half an hour once a week to set aside for quiet meditation and reflection. Meditation is a powerful technique for regulating your thoughts and feelings, and all it takes is a quiet place without too many distractions. Sit comfortably and focus on your breathing until the rest of your mind calms down. That way, you can deal with it without feeling overwhelmed by the consequences.
This is also a great time to set weekly goals or remind yourself of urgent tasks, such as shopping trips and yard work. Feel free to keep a pad of paper and a pen or pencil close at hand when you meditate, so you can make lists and organize everything that comes up. You can use your notes to help guide the week ahead, reducing clutter
Step 3. Be rational
Often, people worry about things over which they have limited control, such as whether or not they got a new job (after the interview) or whether new acquaintances really thought about them. This worry is difficult to completely suppress, although it is clear that worrying will not change the outcome. However, that doesn't mean you can't do your best to remind yourself not to worry. Make a conscious effort to focus your attention elsewhere, and let events run their course as best you can.
Try to respect yourself. If things don't go the way you hoped, review the course of events in your head and try to focus on what you did right or how hard you tried, instead of "where you screwed up." Chances are, the outcome has less to do with your actions, and more to do with someone else. If you're constantly criticizing yourself, you'll only be more worried when similar situations arise (and more likely to make mistakes out of nervousness). Trust that you are doing the best you can, and also that you will do your best next time. There is no good reason to worry about things that have happened and passed
Method 4 of 4: Give Yourself a Reason to Enjoy Life
Step 1. Just do it
Often, your worries will revolve around whether you can succeed at something. Although some things are largely down to chance (as mentioned above), you can compensate well by making other efforts yourself. Choose whatever you've been wanting to do for a long time, want to do better, or want to start doing again, and just give it a try.
- Remember, it never hurts to try something for your own pleasure. Therefore, there is no good reason to worry about how well you will do. Just keep up with yourself try your best not to worry about what other people might think.
- Keep trying and working on the things you are interested in. You'll succeed more often than you might think, and start worrying a lot less because you realize that 75% of success is just getting out there and trying. People who seem successful and happy are people like you, only they never let their worries stop them from taking the time to try other things.
- The things you try don't have to be flashy, or significant to anyone but yourself. You could take up a new hobby, like knitting or martial arts, or you could just make a commitment to smile more often at work. The goals you set are yours to try and achieve. Chase what you've ever wanted to pursue. You will be happy with the results more often than not.
Step 2. Live in the moment
Don't obsess about the future; instead, focus on living in the present. It's okay to plan ahead wisely and set goals, but the important thing is to live your life in the present, and not worry about what's past or what may lie far in the future.
- Practice self-acceptance. As noted earlier, excessive self-criticism is a major source of worry. There is a part of us that listens to what we have to say about ourselves, like it or not. If you're always so hard on yourself, you won't be able to enjoy anything. Telling yourself you will do better in the future is one thing; refusing to be proud of yourself and happy with the steps you have taken to make your life enjoyable right now is a different matter.
- Remember that people are selfish by nature. When you make an embarrassing mistake or fuss, it can cause all your worries to come back to life with a vengeance, leaving you half-catatonic with fear and self-doubt. The fact is, everyone has glitches once in a while, and most people other than the person who made the mistake either forget about it completely or just ignore it soon after. No one is obsessively watching your every move; in fact, most people won't even remember what you told them a month ago unless you told them again. There is no reason to bring shame with you after the incident.
Step 3. Count blessings
Like most of the old sayings and sayings, this one will be repeated ad infinitum because it really is very wise advice. Set aside resistance to clichés for a moment and think about all the advantages you have. You are reading this article on the Internet, which means you have or can borrow Internet access. It also means you can read, which is something not everyone can do. All lives except the most desperate and miserable have much good in them. Find what you have, and remind yourself to be grateful for it every day.
View your life in context. If you live in a building with a roof and walls, be grateful for it instead of worrying about it being too simple or too run-down. If you don't have a home, be grateful for the clothes on your back. If you live in a place with harsh weather, be grateful that sometimes the weather passes and turns pleasant. Be grateful that you can think for yourself, understand beauty, and dream of something better
- No matter your situation, if you are reading this article, you can find things to appreciate in your life. Think of them every time you find yourself sitting and worrying instead of acting and enjoying life.
Step 4. Limit your responsibilities
There are some people who worry because they are trying to take care of everyone and everything around them, or because they read about problems elsewhere in the world and feel as though they never do enough to help. It's good to be supportive and charitable, but overdoing it will turn you into an exhausted nervous and frustrated mess. Make a conscious effort to remind yourself that other people, like you, are more capable than they realize, and that you don't have to be there for everyone at every opportunity.
- People who have everything taken care of for them, like spoiled children, are ultimately unprepared to function in the adult world, which means that sometimes being unhelpful is actually the best help you can provide.
- It's also important to remind yourself that other people care as much as you do about social and charitable issues. It's okay to let them share the burden of responsibility; often this is the only way to make it bearable. This doesn't mean you have to stop caring; no, it means you should be proud of what you do and stop worrying that it's not good enough. That's enough.
- Set limits for yourself. This could be a limit to the amount of time you spend helping others, a limit to the money you spend supporting them, or simply a limit to how much time you spend worrying about the world's problems. The design of boundaries is based around the kind of care you do that causes you to worry.
- Remember that worrying never fixes anything, and there are some things that can't be fixed no matter how strong your will. Force yourself to manage your worries beyond a certain point, and do whatever you have to do to enforce that line.
Step 5. Confidence
In the end, there are some things that absolutely no one can control: weather, death, natural disasters, and other such forces are an unstoppable part of life on Earth. Learn to trust in your own ability to handle them. You can't change the way things like that happen, so the only thing you can really do is be prepared for them, and trust yourself to do your best when dealing with them.
- For example, thousands of people get into car accidents every year, but people continue to use cars because they are confident to do as much as they can to avoid eventualities such as: driving safely, wearing seat belts, learning from past mistakes, and responding quickly to changes. on the road ahead of them. Take the same attitude towards any uncontrollable forces in your life.
- It makes sense it prepares for misfortune. Things like emergency food and water, first aid kits, and fire extinguishers are wise investments in your continued safety. However, make sure as you prepare that your preparation eases your worries instead of increasing them. Don't give in to the urge to buy and prepare more and more. The goal is to find a reasonable balance, say "this is enough," and move on with your daily life.
Tips
- Use your time wisely. Relax and give yourself time to do what you want and do things that will calm you down, making sure these things don't invite stress.
- If you are concerned about your health, seek advice from a medical professional. Avoid self-diagnosis; this only makes it worse and you are more likely to be misdiagnosed.
