Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAcknowledge Your FeelingsWhy We WorryAvoid Fortune TellingAnalyze RisksSchedule Time to WorryLive in the MomentReplace Worrisome ThoughtsUse Relaxation TechniquesTalk to a FriendGetting Help
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Why We Worry
Avoid Fortune Telling
Analyze Risks
Schedule Time to Worry
Live in the Moment
Replace Worrisome Thoughts
Use Relaxation Techniques
Talk to a Friend
Getting Help
Close
It’s normal to worry from time to time. Given life’s many unknowns and challenges, worry is a natural response to many situations. However, chronic and all-consuming worry can be troublesome and interfere with our ability to function freely and calmly in our daily lives.
At a GlanceThinking about the future is normal, but lying awake at night fretting about upcoming events isn’t healthy. If you are trying to stop worrying about the future:Acknowledge your feelingsSet realistic, manageable goalsAvoiding fortune tellingBe realistic about the risksLimiting worry timePractice relaxation techniquesLive in the momentTalk to a friendSeek professional helpLet’s explore more helpful tips to reduce your worrisome and negative thoughts.
At a Glance
Thinking about the future is normal, but lying awake at night fretting about upcoming events isn’t healthy. If you are trying to stop worrying about the future:Acknowledge your feelingsSet realistic, manageable goalsAvoiding fortune tellingBe realistic about the risksLimiting worry timePractice relaxation techniquesLive in the momentTalk to a friendSeek professional helpLet’s explore more helpful tips to reduce your worrisome and negative thoughts.
Thinking about the future is normal, but lying awake at night fretting about upcoming events isn’t healthy. If you are trying to stop worrying about the future:
Let’s explore more helpful tips to reduce your worrisome and negative thoughts.
Press Play for Advice On Reducing WorryThis episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares how to stop worrying about things you can’t control. Click below to listen now.
Press Play for Advice On Reducing Worry
This episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares how to stop worrying about things you can’t control. Click below to listen now.
While you might be tempted to tell yourself, “Don’t worry,” this usually isn’t a helpful strategy. Trying not to think about someone often makes it loom even larger in your mind.
Instead of denying your thoughts, acknowledge them.Accept that these worries are realwithout judging or trying to change them. This doesn’t mean that you’re giving up or resigning yourself to a life of worry. Instead, it means that you are aware of what you are feeling.
Sometimes, simply labeling your feelings can help those emotions and worries seem less intense.
Understand Why You Worry About the Future
Stress is a natural response to uncertainty. When we’re in a new situation or facing confusing circumstances, it’s normal to feel worried about what the future may hold. These feelings help us anticipate what may come and may even motivate us. In small amounts,stress can be beneficial.
When thatstress becomes chronic, however, we may start to see negative effects on our mental and physical well-being.Worrying too much can also cause us toavoid the things we find stressful, which can worsen anxiety.
People who worry chronically may also perceive things differently from others. They mayanticipate that negative thingswill happen more often and may show a heightened response to real and perceived threats.
RecapSome amount of stress and worry are normal, but chronic anxiety about the future can have a detrimental effect on your health and well-being.
Recap
Some amount of stress and worry are normal, but chronic anxiety about the future can have a detrimental effect on your health and well-being.
The Best Online Therapy for Anxiety, Tried and Tested
When you find yourself worrying about a future event because you are picturing a negative outcome, you are, in effect, saying, “I can predict the future.” But, the fact is, you can’t, and you are worried about whatmayhappen, not whatwillhappen. Worry itself serves no purpose unless it spurs a plan of action.
So how can you stop fortune telling? Behavioral experiments are one way to test out your negative predictions. Instead of trying to predict the future, take action. Intentionally put yourself in the situation you are worried about to see if your predictions come true.
As you gain more experience and see that your predictions are not accurate predictors of reality, your feelings of worry and anxiety will gradually begin to diminish.
Analyze the Risks
For example, perhaps you constantly worry about your job performance and fear being fired, but you have received no indication from your boss, or anyone else, that you’re not performing up to par. Looking at your situation realistically may help you reduce your worry.
By setting aside a specific block of time just to worry, you can prevent these worries from creeping into your thoughts during the day. This may help you feel less stressed and can give you the incentive you need to tackle those problems during your designatedworry time.
One way to stop worrying about the future is to focus more on the present.Mindfulnessis a practice that can help people pay more attention to the here and now. It involves focusing on the present moment and building a greater self-awareness of how you feel in the moment.
Mindful MomentNeed a breather? Take this free9-minute meditation focused on being present—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.
Mindful Moment
Need a breather? Take this free9-minute meditation focused on being present—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.
As you practice this, you’ll get better at controlling your attention and focusing on what’s in front of you instead of stressing out about things that haven’t happened yet.
Identify and Replace Worrisome Thoughts
Write down your worrisome and distressful thoughts. Alongside each worrisome thought, list some positive substitution statements.
For example, if you worry that your plane may crash during upcoming air travel, you may counter this thought with: “Statistically, air travel is safe. Professional and competent airline staff are in control, and I can just relax and enjoy my trip.”
You can also try usingthought-stoppingto quiet your worrisome mind.
Learn and Practice Relaxation Techniques
By learning and practicingrelaxation techniques, you will be able to reduce intrusive worry. Some techniques that may be helpful include:
The 7 Best Meditation Apps of 2024
Social support can also be important when you are dealing with stress and worry. A friend can listen to your worries and may even be able to help problem-solve the issues you are dealing with. In other cases, you might just need a distraction from whatever it is that’s stressing you out.
Before you start your conversation, it can be helpful to let your friend know what you need. Tell them if you just need someone to listen, to help, or to take your mind off of your troubles.
One thing to be wary of, however, is the tendency toco-ruminatewith friends. Such discussions, where you talk about an issue endlessly without getting any closer to a solution, can magnify your worries. If you find yourself engaging in this type of contagious worry, look for ways to redirect the conversation toward something more productive and helpful.
If chronic worrying is getting in the way of your everyday life, it may be time to seek professional help. A therapist may be able to help you get to the bottom of your worrying and learn skills and techniques to cope.
Ask your doctor for a referral or do an online search for a therapist in your area who specializes incognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a technique that can help you identify and change negative thoughts that contribute to stress, worry, and anxiety.Online therapycan also be effective.
Get Help NowWe’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.
Get Help Now
We’ve tried, tested, and written unbiased reviews of thebest online therapy programsincluding Talkspace, BetterHelp, and ReGain. Find out which option is the best for you.
Keep in Mind
Worry is a normal part of life, but chronic or excessive worry can negatively impact your health and well-being. Learning stress-reduction and relaxation techniques can help you get the symptoms of chronic worrying under control.
Cognitive skills like avoiding fortune-telling, replacing negative thoughts, and scheduling a time to worry can also offer benefits. If you are experiencing chronic anxiety about the future, therapy can support you through the process of learning new coping skills.
How to Stop Worrying
10 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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