Worry Be-GONE: How to stop worrying so dang much!

I used to be a worry wort. Like the kind who would wake up in the middle of the night or been unable to sleep due to worry. Not that long ago, actually.

But that is NO more!

I have said BE-GONE to worry.

I have let in happiness, calm, and joy.

What is worrying?

Gabrielle Bernstein says it best: "Worrying is like praying for what you don't want."

 

I don't know about you, but I SURE don't want to be spending all my time praying for everything I don't want to manifest in my life. And yes, sometimes legit worries crop up (like leaving the iron plugged in), but I am talking about the BIG worries.

It's easy to say, hey, I choose not to worry today.  But then those nagging thoughts come back or you talk to someone and BAM! You are suddenly at worry command center.

Here are THREE TRICKS to help you let go of worry and live with happiness:

1) Ask yourself, is this something that I can easily and practically solve with minimal effort or thought?

If it's something like leaving the iron on, you can turn around, go home and fix it.There are short, simple action steps that get you that goal accomplished quickly. If you are worrying about, say, where your relationship is going, or if your child is feeling okay today, or whether or not your co-workers will like your presentation, that is UNNECESSARY worrying. You cannot quickly solve it.  So notice that this worrying is there.

2) Forgive your past. Let go the future.  Bring yourself back to the present moment. (Okay, so maybe this one is a three-part tip, but it all leads to FINDING CONTENTMENT IN THE NOW!)

First, if you are worrying about the past you must learn to forgive yourself.  I recommended journaling, praying, or practicing a forgiveness meditation.

Both Kate Northrup and Mastin Kipp have some great forgiveness meditations online:
Here's Kate's financial forgiveness meditation (if you have had some money-related worrying)
Here's Mastin's more encompassing forgiveness meditation

Now that you've forgiven yourself for the past. You also need to let go the future.  Surrender everything to the unknown. Let go the future, just as you let go the past. Let in possibility and abundance.

As Josh Pais likes to say, give a holler and shout out "I'm back!" Reclaim the present moment. When you are truly here, you can't be worrying about the past or the future.  Really look at the person you're talking to. If you are alone, can you connect to what you see on the floor, the wall, in front of you. Stop and take a breath. Feel the sensations in your body.  Breathe. Be here. Now.

If you really need to get connected to the now, I recommended going for a walk, practicing yoga, running, or doing some other form of light cardio.

3) Focus on what you want to happen

If worrying is praying for what you don't want, remember to pray for what you DO want. If you have trouble separating what you WANT from what you DON'T want, I have an exercise on this blog to help you.  Check out "Believe in What You Want" and trying the writing exercise on the blog.

I have a list of daily affirmation that I repeat every morning first thing when I get up and every evening before I go to bed. It makes a world of difference.

Still stuck? Here are some book suggestions to get you along.

Recommended Reading:
Napoleon Hill's Think & Grow Rich (Only .99 cents on Kindle!)
Gay Hendrick's The Big Leap

Are you a worrier? How do you bring yourself back to the present and let go the worries? Any tips and tricks to share?