I admit it… I’m a worrywart! The slightest thing can consume my mind and I just can’t let it go sometimes. What if my flight is canceled tomorrow? What if gold prices dive, or soar? These are things I have no control over, and yet they will keep me up at night and invade my brain while I should be listening and/or paying attention to other things. They even invade my mind while trying to meditate. I wonder if that’s what they mean by “mindfulness…” When your mind is full of worries about situations you can’t control.
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal that addressed this topic and, refreshingly, had some solutions for worrywarts like me. The suggestions were: Start with a reality check. In other words, consider what the worst-case scenario could be, and consider whether you’re going to be just fine in spite of it. Then, Tell yourself a better story. Envision possible positive outcomes. And, Make a plan. Write yourself a memo about how you will deal with the situation, should it arise. And, Set a timer. Give yourself a limited amount of time to think about the problem, and then mentally toss the problem from your mind and move on. How? By Distracting yourself. Do something you enjoy, whether that’s playing with your puppy, listening to music, exercising, or socializing.
I think these little behavioral changes do make a difference. While it’s impossible to measure things accurately on the “worries” scale, I personally have had several things to worry about in the last few months, and since I’ve implemented the suggestions in the article, I don’t feel quite so consumed by worry. I’m sleeping 10% better, and I’m sure I’m 10% easier to get along with as a result. 🙂
(Note: WSJ subscribers can read the article at any time; non-subscribers may only read a limited number of articles for free each month, so if you’ve reached that capacity this month, you may only see an excerpt.)