What, me worry?

 

How many people get distracted by worry to the point they lose focus?  

Here are five reasonable questions to ask that will eliminate worry 95% of the time:

 

1.  Will it matter a year from now?

 

Whatever it is that is really pressuring you, ask the question, "will it matter a year from now?"  This is a favorite of mine, with co-workers, friends, and others.  When I see someone really stressing out, I usually ask, "why?"  The reason is usually something pretty simple, that they are looking at from a time perspective.  Perhaps a co-worker is bothering them.  Or, they lost an opportunity at work.  Maybe a bill is due that they are not sure they can pay right now.  The reality is, almost all stresses are worked out, through time, and by looking at it, a year from now, we remove the immediate pressure of the stressor.  

 

2.  Are there ways to diffuse it (take direct personal action)?

 

If we can take the worry and look at it in a new way, from a fresh perspective, this may relieve us.  Also, there might be ways to eliminate the worry, such as with a particular bill, by simply paying it.  That diffuses the worry.  Taking action directly associated with the worry is the best way to resolve the worry.

 

3.  What can I do to delegate it to someone else?

 

Delegating issues to eliminate worry is the next best approach to resolve worry after taking direct personal action.  The reason for this is that we still have to schedule a follow-up to make sure the person who was delegated the task completed it.  If we have the option to delegate a task which is not our core, so that we might focus on a task which IS our core, then delegation makes sense.

 

4.  Can someone else help me deal with it (find assistance)? 

 

Getting assistance to help with the worry issue can be helpful.  Now you have a team to deal with it!  Teamwork helps make the issue seem less of a challenge because now there are multiple hands, multiple eyes and ears assigned to the challenge.  This is also a great way to improve friendships.

 

5.  How can I relax to distract myself from the worry issue?

 

If we cannot deal with the issue causing us worry, then perhaps we can simply relax or go play a sport or hobby, to distract ourselves from worry.  I find this is highly effective unless I could have taken action to diffuse the worry, first, in which case distractions serve only as procrastination.

 

6.  If I don't do it, will it really matter?

 

Then don't do it!

Any time we worry, the reason usually has to do with thinking "what if..." questions that are beyond our control.

 

"What if the market crashes?"

"What if my company lays people off?"

"What if I get a new manager?"

 

These are all examples of "what if" questions that we probably have no direct control over.  Worrying about "what if" questions does nothing for us but cause us stress.  For quick stress reduction to a "what if" question, try the online stressbuster tool.

 

By focusing on what is important NOW and taking action that I really CAN DO now, a step at a time, worry subsides.