2 Ways to Worry Less: That You Probably Haven't Seen Before

If you’re reading this, you’re probably feeling worried. There is so much on your plate.

You wish you didn’t feel so out of control, you wish things would happen faster for you, you feel like you don’t know where to start when it comes to tackling your problems and you just feel stuck.

I’ve really struggled with that too. Some mornings I wake up with a feeling that I’d probably describe as dread.

Because there’s so much on my mind, so much I want to do and so much pressure I’m putting on myself to get things right and move forward.

But then I remember, this is a completely normal thing that my mind is doing and everyone’s mind has this protective mechanism built in.

How do you move forward despite this worry or anxiety?

You and I need tools to help shut off the worrying thoughts, reset our focus and approach the day in a calm and effective way. (I actually find I’ll need to do this reset most days when there’s a lot going on).

Worry and anxiety can ruin lives and suck the life out of your dreams. Like a quicksand that keeps you stuck and drains every last bit of energy and motivation you seem to have.

• Maybe you tend to worry about the future so much that you put off living today?

• Maybe you spend a lot of your time feeling guilty or regretting things that happened in the past?

• Maybe you dream of a day in the future when you’ll be able to feel happy, but forget to make the most of today?

Regardless of which ones you answered yes to, I’d like to share some ideas and practical tips that I've uncovered in my quest to tame my worrying mind.

I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me, because I know how painful and debilitating worry and anxiety can be.

1. One day at a time - The art of keeping your attention on today.

If you study the most worry-free, fulfilled and happy people in the world, you’ll find that they have an incredible ability to keep their thoughts and attention in the moment and on today.

Happiness and feeling chilled eludes you when your mind is constantly living in the "what if's" of tomorrow and in the guilt, shame and judgement of yesterday.

(That’s one of the reasons why I used to drink often and heavily. It was an attempt to shut off all the worried thinking and just relax into the moment. Of course escaping that way isn't a sustainable habit or way of life, as I later found out...).

When it comes to switching off the worrying thoughts, everyone suggests meditation these days, but…

The problem is most people struggle to get their head around meditating.

They can’t switch the worrying thoughts off at all or justify fitting the 30 minutes into their busy lives, so it causes them to give up after 1 or 2 attempts.

Ok, so what can you do instead?

I’ve found a powerful technique that takes about 30 seconds.

Imagine yourself going to the start of the day and closing a huge metal roller door, which shuts you off from the past. Then going to the end of the day and closing another huge metal roller door, which shuts you off from thinking or worrying about tomorrow.

Now, you've created a safe compartment where you can just concentrate on today and forget the rest for now.

You've just used a powerful technique that's used by top athletes and high performers, called visualisation.

You can use it on those days when you’re feeling overwhelmed, worried or anxious and just need to slow down and get a handle on your thoughts.

Separate yourself from your worries and put your time and energy into today’s tasks only, because that’s all you can do and all you can control after all.

After you've closed the metal doors, start by asking:

“What can I do well today? What can I put my energy into today? What can I look forward to today?”

2. The hourglass story for overwhelm - The art of slowing down and simplifying.

“Think of your life as an hourglass. There are thousands of grains of sand in the top of the hourglass, and they all pass slowly and evenly through the narrow neck in the middle. Nothing you or I could do, would make more than one grain of sand at a time pass through this narrow neck, unless we were to break the hourglass.

You are like this hourglass, when you start in the morning there are loads of tasks which you feel that you must accomplish that day. But if you don’t do them one at a time and let them pass through the day slowly and evenly, like the grains of sand passing through the narrow neck of the hourglass. Then you are bound to break yourself physically and mentally”.

So, whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed…

Picture the hourglass and remember: “One grain of sand at a time, one task at a time”.

You’ll be able to do whatever you’re doing without that confused, foggy feeling you get when you're worried or anxious about something.

You’ll also feel less exhausted and burnt out at the end of the day or the week, because worry and anxiety drains you physically.

After you've remembered the hourglass analogy. Start by writing down just 1-3 priorities for today, set a timer and get going with one of them for 15-20 minutes. When you get going and make a little bit of progress, you'll immediately feel a bit better.

Action, no matter how small reduces anxiety.

Final thoughts.

Ask yourself:

What is it worth for me to feel calm, less worried and less anxious every day? What difference would that make in my life?

In any moment you can choose to take a step back, take one deep breath and say “everything is okay”.

Make a habit of doing a little mental reset every day and using tools like these. That is what will start to create the shifts in your life that you’re so badly wanting.

I’ve found that small things done consistently over time produce huge results. Start that process for yourself today.

Here’s the next step…

I have something cool for you:

I’ve created a free step by step checklist that includes the tools in this article, plus I’ve added an additional bonus tool.

You can save it or print it out, so that you have a visual reminder for the next time you’re feeling really worried or anxious.

I’ll send it straight over to the email address you enter below.

Also, if you enjoyed reading this post then I'd be really grateful if you shared it with some friends. Together we can help more people feel better.