Let’s take my previous example: I’m worried about my upcoming presentation. What am I most worried about? Worries can make us imagine several outcomes – good and bad. Nothing bad might happen or it might. Think about all the possible outcomes you can about the worry currently plaguing your mind.

While the above relaxation techniques can provide some immediate respite from worry and anxiety, practicing them regularly can also change your brain. Research has shown that regular meditation, for example, can boost activity on the left side of the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for feelings of serenity and joy. When you write down your worries you can relax knowing they won’t be forgotten. They are now on paper. Step 4: In the surrounding bubbles, write; your initial feeling & thoughts, your after-reflection thoughts & feelings, and what you learned from them.

Comparing Journals

Shoulds’ and ‘should-nots.’ Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn't do and beating yourself up if you break any of the rules. “I should never have tried starting a conversation with her. I'm such a moron.” When it comes to worry journal techniques, Hall is a fan of making a spidergram, also known as a spider diagram. To make your own, follow the steps below: What if I fail my test? How will I pay the month-end bills? What if it rains during my golf tournament?

Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Tip 6: Practice mindfulness Chronic worry can be triggered by anything. From working at a difficult job to becoming a new parent, there’s likely always going to be something in life for us to worry about. To find out why you may be an endless worrier, take some time to reflect and examine your self-awareness. Consider if any of these reasons could be causing your anxiety: Problem solving involves evaluating a situation, coming up with concrete steps for dealing with it, and then putting the plan into action. Worrying, on the other hand, rarely leads to solutions. No matter how much time you spend dwelling on worst-case scenarios, you're no more prepared to deal with them should they actually happen. Is your worry something you can control? Catastrophizing. Expecting the worst-case scenario to happen. “The pilot said we're in for some turbulence. The plane's going to crash!” If my worry is paying the bills, I might look for a part-time job, phone a relative, create a budget, and/or cut costs.

Am I worrying too much?

This is a scheduled time for you to pull out your worry journal and dedicate a little time to improving the situation. Your physical health is an important buffer against constant worry as it is harder to break the cycle when you don't feel well or have low energy.

I know this might sound counter-intuitive — to focus more on something that you’re trying to stop, but this is singlehandedly the biggest technique that has helped me squash my worries. Worries, doubts, and anxieties are a normal part of life. It’s natural to worry about an unpaid bill, an upcoming job interview, or a first date. But “normal” worry becomes excessive when it’s persistent and uncontrollable. You worry every day about “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios, you can’t get anxious thoughts out of your head, and it interferes with your daily life. There is no shortage of research on the mental and emotional benefits of journaling. When researching the benefits of journaling, it doesn’t take long to begin asking the question: why aren’t we all doing this every single day? Along with meditation and mindfulness, journaling has been shown to be one of the most effective and helpful techniques for decreasing feelings of anxiety. Telling yourself to stop worrying doesn’t work. In fact, trying to do so often makes your worries stronger and more persistent. This is because trying to “thought stop” forces you to pay extra attention to the very thought you want to avoid. If my main worry is paying the bills by month-end, perhaps an outcome is that my heat will be shut off. Let’s brainstorm everything from the impending Tsunami, the potential car crash, or maybe even the next zombie apocalypse.

Get up and get moving. Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment because it releases endorphins which relieve tension and stress, boost energy, and enhance your sense of well-being. Even more importantly, by really focusing on how your body feels as you move, you can interrupt the constant flow of worries running through your head.