Worrying. We all do it, some more than others. But every single person is guilty of it. Some worry about finances, others about relationships, and some worry about the apocalypse….
Worrying seems to be woven into our DNA. At times it can take control over our day and steer us in the direction it chooses. On days like this we seem to be at the mercy of our fears and worries, with no escape in sight.
Days can quickly turn into weeks, which just as quickly turn into months. When we allow ourselves to be controlled by overthinking, it’s as if we are on autopilot and allowing outside circumstances to take over our daily functions.
We not only worry, but we focus on the one or two things throughout our day that we have absolutely zero control over. It’s never enough for us to worry, but of course we have to focus on the things that are completely out of our hands.
Instead of focusing on circumstances we can control, we start comparing ourselves to someone else, and in the process wishing ill will against them. Maybe we are trying out for a team and instead of doing everything possible to make it, we put our time and energy into hoping someone else doesn’t.
We have no control over this! We do this in every aspect of life, and it weighs heavy on us.
The solution to ridding ourselves of this constant worry is to put all of your time and energy into things you can control. But it’s not that simple, the human mind is complicated, and it takes will power to focus on things that are in our control.
Just like anything in life though, it takes practice and repetition. Every time we find our minds wondering over to the uncontrollable aspects of our life, we have to pull back.
Just like a shock collar on a dog, you have to shock your mind when it goes down the road of worrying.
Over time when we constantly tell ourselves to stop worrying about uncontrollable thoughts, our mind will stop taking us there.
We exhaust ourselves with constant worrying, and it takes even more energy to steer our minds clear. Because of that, eventually the Brain isn’t going to bring those worrisome thoughts around as much due to the exhausting effort that goes along with it.
No matter what, we are always going to worry, but we can curtail it by reminding ourselves constantly to focus on what we have control over. As cliché as this sounds, it is very much obtainable for us to do. It just takes practice.
When we think of practice, we think of sports, math, music and other strenuous activities that require us to perfect our skill.
But we have to do the same thing with our thoughts! We ultimately control what floats around in our head, and it takes practice to control what goes on in there. Being conscious of when you are focusing on things out of your hands is the first step to taking back control over your own mind.
Practice makes perfect in so many aspects of life and practicing how your mind handles worry is no different. We have the power to clear our heads of all worries if we choose, it’s just a matter of repetition and focusing on what is in your control as opposed to what’s out of your hands.
