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Worry is that feeling of uneasiness that occurs when your thoughts are focused on current difficulties in your life or potential problems that have not actually occurred. For example, these feelings can range from worrying about an upcoming evaluation at work to feeling worried about the safety of family members even when they all seem to be out of harm’s way.
Many people who struggle with anxiety-related conditions are negatively affected by their worrisome thoughts. Frequent worrying can be exhausting and often increases your feelings of fear and anxiety. Worrying can make it difficult to unwind and relax, even contributing to sleep disturbances, such as insomnia.
Discussed below, are effective ways of dealing with worry:
- Put Your Mind Elsewhere:
This tip may sound easy, but it does require some effort to distract yourself from worrying. To get your mind off your worries, try to get busy on something else. For example, you can try walking, watching television, or reading a good book. To prepare yourself against future worrying, you can make a list of activities that you can do. The list can be labeled – “What I can do instead of worrying” and then underneath it, write down activities that will put your mind elsewhere. Try to come up with a long list of your own. Consider what activities you can do when in different situations, such as when you are at home, traveling, or at work.
- Get Support:
Talking with a trusted friend or family member can help you feel more relaxed and supported. Sometimes hearing the perspective of another person can help change how you view your worries. You may want to spend a few minutes sharing your worries with someone, but it is best to not let that be the only subject that you talk about. A good friend can help you get your mind off of your worries and onto something else.
- Practice Relaxation and Self-Care Techniques:
Learning to relax is a proactive way to work towards overcoming your worries. People with panic disorder tend to have an overactive flight-or-fight response, meaning that they often approach life with a lot of fear and anxiety. Relaxation techniques serve the purpose of improving your relaxation response and minimizing anxious thoughts.
There are many ways to elicit the relaxation response, including progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and meditation. These techniques can be learned on your own and can help you feel calmer. Decide which strategies work best for you and make an effort to practice those techniques for at least 10 to 20 minutes per day. Other self-care practices include physical fitness and nutrition, expressing our creativity, tending to our spiritual needs, and developing healthy relationships. Determine which activities you need to practice more in your life. Practicing self-care for panic disorder can help you live and feel healthier, which may help defeat some of your worries.
- Face Your Worries:
Sometimes our worries are caused by procrastination or an inability to make a decision. If you are putting something off, worry can serve as a way to avoid facing the issue head-on. However, in the long run, worry and anticipation can actually make you feel much more anxious than if you would just take care of your issue. You can stop worrying by taking the steps you need to deal with the problem. You may find that tackling your problems or projects actually decreases your feelings of worry and stress.