Worrying can be thought of as "negative fantasy" - thinking about bad things that might happen. You can easily learn to get your thinking more under your own control.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 7 days
Here's How:
- Make a list of things that you worry about.
- Set aside 15-30 minutes every day as a "worry time" and spend that time intentionally worrying.
- If you catch yourself worrying at other times - Yell "STOP" to yourself and make a list of things you were worrying about.
- At your "worry time" that day, spend some time worrying about items on the list.
- Modify the amount of time you spend worrying as you begin to get your thinking more under your own control.
- At the end of your worry time for the day spend a few minutes planning more realistically for the future.
Tips:
- Worrying and planning both involve thinking about the future - but planning is productive.
- Setting aside time to worry is especially helpful if worry keeps you awake at night.
- Sometimes getting more information about a subject will alleviate worry.
