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Key points
- The best way to make use of your worry is to focus on the present, rather than the past or future.
- Thought distortions, such as catastrophizing, may feel helpful in the moment, but only waste your energy.
- Once you've established a plan, do your best to put it into action as soon as possible, no matter how small the step.
When you worry about the quality of your work, your personal interactions with coworkers, or your most recent presentation or report, you can become caught focusing on the negatives. Worry puts you in the mindset of seeking to identify problems, it makes decision-making more difficult, and it can make you feel overwhelmed.
Worry does serve a purpose, though.
Worry alerts you to problems, prepares you for action, and helps you develop coping mechanisms through the “rehearsal” of the worrisome event. But worry can only be useful if it is harnessed to cope with pressure. Otherwise, it is simply a waste of mental and physical energy.
Making good use of your worry is a two-pronged approach: using the energy to create a successful approach to the problem at hand, while at the same time maintaining an orientation to the present that will help offset the worry.
When you notice worry, stop and breathe
The most typical cues for worry include rumination, concentration problems, predicting the worst (also known as catastrophizing), a racing mind, insomnia, and restlessness. As soon as you notice any of these cues, take it as a sign to pause and acknowledge that you’re feeling worried without judging yourself.
When we anticipate the evaluation of our performance in some way, we tend to fixate on either one of two things: what will happen in the future, or what has happened in the past. But the thing to remember is that we only have control over the present moment, no matter how much our worry might try to convince us otherwise. Focus your attention on things that are happening or within your control right now, setting aside the past and future as much as possible.
Categorize to remain in the present
Using a categorization technique can also help maintain your orientation to the present. Any mindfulness practice requires focusing your attention on present sensations and trying to maintain a passive disregard for any extraneous thoughts that arise.
To counter the effect of these thoughts, put each one into either one of two categories:
Then, once you’ve attached a label to it, let it go.
Be on the lookout for thought distortions
Worry tends to create self-focus. When you are under this type of pressure, it is particularly important not to engage in self-criticism as a coping mechanism. Do not distort the evidence. If you hold a negative belief about yourself or your abilities, ask yourself, “Is it in my best interest to hold this belief? If not, why am I holding onto it?”
Often, evaluation worry is exacerbated by the thought that the outcome will be so extreme you'll be unable to cope with it. If you actually identify “the worst that could happen” you will likely see that, in most cases, you have the resources to handle the worst possible scenario. And if not, remember: you are not alone! Asking for help and assistance is always a valid option.
Handle worrisome scenarios whether or not they are within your control
If you feel that you can take sufficient control of the situation and choose to act on your worry, follow these steps:
- Reevaluate the necessity of taking action by asking, “How important is the thing I’m worrying about? How much energy is worth expending on this worry?” It may be helpful to get a second opinion from a trusted colleague. This question will help you eliminate the unimportant.
- Write down what you are worrying about and how you can take action. This will provide you with a plan and leave no reason to obsess about the subject of your worry.
- Try to take action immediately. Take some action, no matter how small. Any step that initiates the plan you’ve established will help alleviate worry.
However, if the situation is truly beyond your control, the best course of action is to let it go. Use writing, distraction, and mindfulness to keep you in the present, rather than pinging from future to past. Write down what you are worrying about, and record your answers to the questions that helped you decide the situation is beyond your control. This will reinforce the fact that worry is a waste of your precious energy.
Keep in mind that your imagination can serve as a distraction to offset the worry, also. It can be as simple as imagining a positive, happy outcome for the stressful situation, even if you don’t exactly know how it will occur. After all, if your body responds to worrisome thoughts, it will also respond to positive thoughts, accordingly.
