Tools to Help You Manage Your Worries

Tools to Help You Manage Your Worries

1. Write down a list of your worries. Sometimes just writing things down can clear your mind or help you to realise that your worries are not as big a problem as they may seem. 
2. Figure out which are worries that you can do something about, and which are out of your control. For the worries that you can do something about, write down an action plan of things that you can do to solve the problem. With the worries about things that are out of your control, acknowledge this and change your focus to doing something you enjoy. 
3. Practise calm breathing and try exercise or Progressive Muscle Relaxation to manage your anxiety. 
4. Make a start. Figure out what sort of things you might not be doing because of your worries and make a plan to start doing them again. Try out new things or restart old hobbies.  
5. Stop listening to your worries. Remind yourself that the part of you that worries is just your mind trying to keep you and the ones you care about safe. Then acknowledge that while your worried mind is trying to help, it can also be unhelpful and you don’t need to listen to it. 
6. Use your senses to stay in the present moment. 
7. Learn to tolerate uncertainty. Remember that worrying is caused by an intolerance of uncertainty. Exposing yourself to more uncertainty can help you become more comfortable with things you can’t control. An example of this might be going to a restaurant without checking the reviews first, trying a new hobby or craft, or delegating a task to someone else rather than doing it yourself.  

Try taking a look at the following self-help resources for more useful tips and advice:  

Apps

Calm

Headspace

Mind Shift

Self-help guides

Anxiety – Introduction

Books

Overcoming worry: a self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques by Kevin Meares and Mark Freeston 

The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It by David Carbonell