How to stop worrying?

Make a list – is there anything I can do to increase the likelihood of a good outcome?

 If you have done everything you can and there is nothing you can do, the best way forward is to go with the flow. Try to take comfort in knowing that whatever happens, you wont have to worry once it is done. Human brains don’t like uncertainty and prefer certainty and control. But as life have shown us many times before, it is just not possible. But that does not mean you have to be a prisoner to those thoughts.

Don’t automatically assume the worst-case scenario, while this prepares you for the worst and allows you to avoid too much disappointment. It is not the best for your mental state or your headspace to be always skewed towards the negative. Try to flip it around and think about what CAN go right? What would be the best thing you gain from this?

Remind yourself that this is a rough moment but you will get through it just like you’ve gone through all the other difficult situations in the past before. Which means you can do it again. Remember, you are accumulating experiences and learning all the time, you can utilise your past experiences, past success or failures to help you in your current situation.

Don’t let your thoughts take control of you, when you find yourself having distressing thoughts, distance yourself, look at the bigger picture and ask yourself if it is helpful, true or valid?

Use a healthy distraction but this does NOT mean avoidance, you can worry and get a task done at the same time. Channel your worry into something that will be beneficial for your, e.g. exercise or reading a self-development book AFTER you’ve acknowledged your worries.