10 Ways You Can Stop Worrying

Let There Be No Crisis Before Its Time
Don’t worry about something that will take place in a week, a day, or even an hour. The variables will be different then, than they are today. If you have to make a decision on Friday, wait until Friday, and see what the day brings.

Stay Grounded in the Present
Squash unnecessary worrying with one question: “Can I do anything about this matter right now, right this minute?” If the answer is “no,” stay in the present moment, jot down the thought, and then let it go.

Don’t Let Possessions Possess You
Let go of your attachment to things—no attachment; no worry. The less you have, the less anxiety you bring into your life. Detach and simplify and you minimize worry.

Set Worry Limits
Set a timer or a watch alarm for 15 minutes. Tell yourself: “I feel the need to think about ________, but I can only afford to spend 15 minutes on it.” When the time is up, the alarm will be a tangible reminder to let the worry go. Schedule this time when you have something important to do immediately afterwards (like picking up the kids, going to a meeting, having friends over), so you’ll have to drop worry and refocus fast

Keep a Worry Journal
Write down your worries in a journal on a weekly basis. Open the journal each week to see how many of the things you worried about actually happened or came true. Referring to this journal often will show you how much time you waste by worrying. It will also serve as a reminder that most of the things you worry about don’t actually happen.

Be Your Own Disaster Master
Worrying is a choice, and you can choose not to do it. Once you catch yourself, you can say, “Okay, I know all I’m doing is going around in circles. So I’m getting off this bus. I’m not going to do this to myself.” Then, get completely absorbed with something that requires your complete mental attention: do a Sudoku puzzle, add some numbers to your cell phone, write a book on Twitter

Stop Playing God
You can’t plan for every outcome. Truth is, you don’t know what will happen five minutes from now, let alone tomorrow, so stop trying to do God’s job.

Don’t Control Others with Your Worries
Let people be who they are. Stop forcing others to do what will make you feel better, instead of what they want. Give people credit for having half a brain and knowing what’s good or bad for them. You’ll cut your worrying in half.

Rein in Your Imagination
Instead of doting on the worst case scenario, conjuring up negative images of doom and gloom, use your mind to form a positive picture. Visualize what’s good about the situation. Think about the best possible scenario or outcome instead.

Practice and Pretend
Pretending you’re not anxious when you are interrupts the worry cycle so you can practice going about your business as usual—uncomfortable but still functioning. Practice and pretend not to worry and, in time, anxieties won’t paralyze you. Remember, though, that you can’t just stop worrying all at once and expect results. Decreasing your tendency to worry takes dedication. But will I worry about not worrying and make myself anxious? I think not.