Dear Readers and Friends,
Today we continue with another article on Emotional Psychology: Worry and some strategies to counter it. We bring together different perspectives and authors from different fields to offer suggestions and improvements for our emotional, physical, and psychological well-being.
Before we can manage our emotions, it's essential to understand them. Emotions evolved as adaptive mechanisms that helped our ancestors survive. They aren't simple reactions, but rapid and effective action programs designed by evolution.
Each person is solely responsible for their own thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviors.
THE CONCERN
Worry is an ineffective and harmful mental habit
Worry is another mental state that can sap us of much energy and well-being. Some authors clearly distinguish between "worrying" and "being busy."
Worrying is a mental act that immobilizes us in the present regarding things that might happen in the future. Being busy, on the other hand, means acting in the present to prepare for or influence that future.
It's a socially accepted and culturally transmitted sentiment. It's often confused with being responsible or farsighted. However, we must be clear that worry, in itself, is useless. No single moment of worry has ever succeeded in improving things. On the contrary, worry has a very negative effect: it undermines our effectiveness in the present.
Most people spend their lives trying to be someone they're not, but true power comes from accepting the truth of who you are and pursuing it to the best of your ability.
When our mind is trapped in a loop of "what if this happened?" or "what if that happened?", we can't focus on what we need to do here and now. Our mental energy is wasted on hypothetical scenarios that, for the most part, will never happen.
A few years ago, I learned that nothing is ever as chaotic as it seems. There's nothing worth jeopardizing our health or poisoning ourselves in the abyss of worry and stress. - Kain Ramsay
I have had a thousand problems in my life, most of which never occurred. Mark Twain
This quote perfectly captures the nature of worry. It's a misuse of our imagination. It makes us ache in advance for things that probably won't happen. Or, if they do happen, they'll require action, not worry.
The first step in managing it is understanding its uselessness and the high cost it has on our peace of mind and productivity.
Whether information is provided to us or we seek it out, we are all inclined to find ways to validate our beliefs, opinions, thoughts, and actions, even if this validation puts us in a worse state and leads to self-sabotage.
The key to combating worry is to recognize its futility and redirect that energy into concrete actions.
Our perception of reality is rarely accurate, and cognitive distortions occur when the brain creates incorrect connections and, in effect, lies to us. Anyone who reads psychology will be familiar with the phrase "correlation does not equal causation ," and this is where that statement applies. It's commonplace to make connections where there aren't any when interpreting life, as most people assume that because two variables are correlated, one cause leads to the other.
Worry is a harmful mental habit that distances us from the present and drains us emotionally. To combat it, practicing mindfulness helps us focus on the present moment and reduce anxiety.
CIRCLE OF CONCERN VS CIRCLE OF CONTROL
The Circle of Concern versus the Circle of Control is a variation of Rotter's locus of control. The two circles help us identify how we present ourselves in life: whether we are influencing the world or being influenced by it (i.e., you are an influencer or you are influenced). The patterns help us distinguish those who are reactors in life (i.e., victims) from those who are proactive in life (with their decisions, choices, outcomes, results, behaviors, and consequences).
The circle of concern represents how our energy appears when we focus on other people: be they celebrities we idolize, social media influencers, or our peers. We allow these external influencers to influence what we wear, eat, do, where we work, what we say yes and no to, what we stand for, and what we like and dislike.
STRATEGIES TO REDUCE WORRY
Because worry is an ineffective and harmful mental habit, it's important to learn strategies to reduce it. Here are some practical techniques.
The first strategy is to start seeing the present as a time to live, not to obsess about the future. Practicing mindfulness can be very helpful in grounding us in the here and now.
The second and most effective strategy is to remember that the best antidote to worry is action. If there's something you can do now to prevent the problem you're worrying about, do it. If you can't do anything, then worrying is pointless. Focus your energies on what you can control.
Another useful exercise is to make a list of all the things you've worried about in the past. Then, see how many of those worries actually occurred. And ask yourself if worrying did anything to you. This retrospective look is often very revealing.
Finally, for every worry, ask yourself the key question: "Will anything change as a direct result of my worries?" The answer will almost always be "no."
This simple reminder can help you break the thought cycle and redirect your attention to something more constructive and helpful in the present moment.
In life, the greatest vision or goal we can set for ourselves is a vision of who we can become. Without this, we run the risk of getting caught up in the pursuit of getting things done and completing our to-do list.
Obviously, everything must be read, understood, and above all, tried and used. All the articles on this blog are to be experienced with extreme honesty. This is the safe place where you can be who you truly are.
PS. Leave your comments.
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