How To Stop Worrying
This article was co-authored by Liana Georgoulis, PsyD. Dr. Liana Georgoulis is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 10 years of experience, and is now the Clinical Director at Coast Psychological Services in Los Angeles, California. She received her Doctor of Psychology from Pepperdine University in 2009. Her practice provides cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based therapies for adolescents, adults, and couples.There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 11 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 107,111 times.
Nearly everyone worries sometimes. But, worrying too much can get in the way of living a happy life. It can make it harder to sleep, and distract you from positive things in your life. Worrying can even make it harder to deal with the problems you are worrying about. Worse still, some research shows that too much worrying can even lead to physical health problems.XResearch source Constant worrying is a habit that can be hard to break. The good news is, there are many things you can do to stop the pattern of excess worry and live a happier life.
How To Stop Shaking When You Feel Nervous
Medically Reviewed By: Christy B.
It can feel alarming or scary when you can’t stop your body from shaking. As humans, we all feel nervous at times. When you’re feeling nervous, you shouldn’t have to worry about your body shaking, too! There are many reasons why your body can’t stop moving, and we’re going to go over them in this article. Most importantly, we’ll also cover tools you can use that will help you stop shaking during these moments. This can help you make sure you’re no longer shivering.
Why Is It So Hard To Stop Worrying
Constant worrying can take a heavy toll. It can keep you up at night and make you tense and edgy during the day. And even though you hate feeling like a nervous wreck, it can still be so difficult to stop. For most chronic worriers, the anxious thoughts are fueled by the beliefsboth negative and positivethat you hold about worrying:
Negative beliefs about worry. You may believe that your constant worrying is harmful, that its going to drive you crazy or affect your physical health. Or you may worry that youre going to lose all control over your worryingthat it will take over and never stop. While negative beliefs, or worrying about worrying, adds to your anxiety and keeps worry going, positive beliefs about worrying can be just as damaging.
Positive beliefs about worry. You may believe that your worrying helps you avoid bad things, prevents problems, prepares you for the worst, or leads to solutions. Maybe you tell yourself that if you keep worrying about a problem long enough, youll eventually be able to figure it out? Or perhaps youre convinced that worrying is a responsible thing to do or the only way to ensure you dont overlook something? Its tough to break the worry habit if you believe that your worrying serves a positive purpose. Once you realize that worrying is the problem, not the solution, you can regain control of your worried mind.
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Ways To Keep Yourself From Stress Eating
Keep a Food Diary
If your goal is to stop stress eating for weight loss, then maybe keeping track of the food you consume will make you more aware of your eating habits. Create a food diary where you can list down everything from main meals to snacks in between. When you become aware of what you eat, the more likely you will control it.
Dont Deprive Yourself You Can Snack if Needed
Encouraging to eat may seem counterintuitive, but suppressing hunger may actually make you more vulnerable to returning to the habit. The more you suppress yourself, the more it will bother you. And if you give in eventually, the habit may return and may be even harder to control.
Keep in mind that you still need to eat, and the habit youre trying to beat is to avoid overeating. There is a difference between being hungry and feeling hungry. Eat when youre hungry and snack if, for instance, you skipped a meal or require more energy for the activities that youre about to do that day. Avoid eating when you just feel like it. Be conscious of the food that you snack on and control the quantities. The trick to beating emotional eating is conscious eating.
Get Creative with Healthy Recipes
Are cravings the problem most of the time? It could then help you get creative in the kitchen and find alternative recipes to make your favorite snacks healthier. When you make it yourself, you are aware of the ingredients that go into your food. You control what you eat.
How To Make A Long Term Plan To Reduce Stress
Now that youve tackled the basics and hopefully created a big of margin, you can begin to take a look at the bigger issues. Again, go through your list and see what you can start working on right way.
Some examples of big issues that stress you out could be that youre juggling too many responsibilities. While many of them are a part of life, look for what the non essential activities are and reduce them.
For example, if youre a busy mom, you might be overwhelmed with the pressure of getting your kids to every activity. Pick one or two activities for your family to be involved in. Then teach your kids how to occupy themselves so you can get some much needed downtime for yourself.
If you work, you might have someone that you continually butt heads with. Finding work at a different company is certainly an option, but you might also consider looking into moving to a different department or possibly working from home.
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How To Stop Caring About Things You Cant Control
Medically Reviewed By: Alicia Fiske, LMSW
It’s often hard not to care about things you can’t control-whether your partner will do well on a work presentation, what the weather will be like for our flight, and so on. The problem is that caring about things you can’t control takes your time, zaps your energy, and keeps you from working on the things you can control. To reduce your stress and start leading a happier life, you need to let go and stop caring about those things you can’t control. It might be easier said than done, but all you need are the right tools. We’ll discuss these later in the article.
Online Therapy Has Licensed Professionals From Many National Institutes Of Health
You may be skeptical with online therapy’s potential, but a therapist online has worked with many people and they are always updated on any new research medically reviewed by university and other prestigious sources.
During a therapy session for your tremors, here are some things you can expect out of it.
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The Great Unknown: 10 Tips For Dealing With The Stress Of Uncertainty
Findings from the APA Stress in America Survey highlight common ways that uncertainty stresses us out.
The great unknown: 10 tips for dealing with the stress of uncertainty.
Most people are creatures of habit. When things go as planned, we feel in control. But when life throws a curveball, it can leave us feeling anxious and stressed.
Findings from the APA’s highlight other common ways that uncertainty stresses us out. More than three in five agreed that uncertainty about what the next few months will be like causes them stress, and around half said that the coronavirus pandemic has made planning for their future feel impossible.
Research shows that people react differently to uncertainty, and that those with a higher intolerance for uncertainty may be less resilient and more prone to low mood, negative or down feelings, and anxiety.
No one can avoid the unexpected. But these simple steps can help you better face lifes uncertainties.
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Put Stress In Its Place
Stress is an inevitable part of life. How you cope with it has an effect on both your physical and emotional state. Here are 10 calming strategies you can use right now to get into a less stressed space and achieve stress relief. Use one of these strategies the next time you’re looking for one of the ways to stop stressing.
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List Some Solutions And Come Up With A Plan
If there’s a specific problem you need to fix, make a list of all possible solutions and pick the best one for your situation. Realizing that you have options and coming up with a concrete plan will have a direct effect on stress reduction. “Break the task into smaller parts so you can try to accomplish what you need to in an hour, a day and then next week so the problem becomes more manageable,” suggests Kubiak.
The Medication You Take
Another reason why you may experience tremors is due to a side effect of the medication you take. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may heave tremors or other movement disorders as a side effect. Many drugs, supplements, or anything else you take always comes with a risk of a side effect. If you’re taking inhibitors, SSRIs, or a similar medication, look up the side effects.
There are many medications, and you can read all about them at institutions such as the National Library of Medicine. The National Library of Medicine, or Library of Medicine for Short, is in Bethesda, Maryland. The National Library of Medicine is the biggest source of all information medical. If you visit the Library of Medicine, you can find pictures, data, and side effects. If you’re unsure if your medication is right for you, the Library of Medicine can help.
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How Can We Handle Stress In Healthy Ways
Stress serves an important purposeit enables us to respond quickly to threats and avoid danger. However, lengthy exposure to stress may lead to mental health difficulties or increased physical health problems. A large body of research suggests that increased stress levels interfere with your ability to deal with physical illness. While no one can avoid all stress, you can work to handle it in healthy ways that increase your potential to recover.
There are several other methods you can use to relax or reduce stress, including:
More Ways To Stop Stressing Yourself Out
Adopt a healthier lifestyle. This cant be said often enough. Taking time for your own good health will help you to handle whatever stressors life throws at you.
Stop worrying. I know, easier said than done. Try to live one day at a time and stop the future tripping as much as you can.
Stop running late. Dont wait until the last possible minute to get to work, school or family event. Prepare as much as you can before, so that you eliminate the last minute stress of looking for your glasses or keys.
Keep an organized home. Again, this is going to be a process. Develop a basic routine to keep your home in order and spend a few minutes getting rid of clutter every day.
Have a regular bedtime routine. Many people try to decompress by drinking wine or vegetate in front of the TV or their tablet. A few hours before you go to sleep, shut down the electronics and indulge in a bath, reading a book, journaling or some gentle yoga. This will help to prepare your body for a good nights sleep.
Keep working through the list and do what you can to get closer to cutting out those remaining stressors.
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Tip : Talk About Your Worries
It may seem like a simplistic solution, but talking face to face with a trusted friend or family membersomeone who will listen to you without judging, criticizing, or continually being distractedis one of the most effective ways to calm your nervous system and diffuse anxiety. When your worries start spiraling, talking them over can make them seem far less threatening.
Keeping worries to yourself only causes them to build up until they seem overwhelming. But saying them out loud can often help you to make sense of what youre feeling and put things in perspective. If your fears are unwarranted, verbalizing them can expose them for what they areneedless worries. And if your fears are justified, sharing them with someone else can produce solutions that you may not have thought of alone.
Build a strong support system. Human beings are social creatures. Were not meant to live in isolation. But a strong support system doesnt necessarily mean a vast network of friends. Dont underestimate the benefit of a few people you can trust and count on to be there for you. And if you dont feel that you have anyone to confide in, its never too late to build new friendships.
What Can I Do About My Crying
Crying is something that everyone does. But if you feel like youre crying too much, you might be too easily overwhelmed by stress, or you may have another issue going on, such as a depressive disorder. You can begin by focusing on reducing the stress in your life to reduce your crying. You can get a handle on your stress by taking these steps to identify, confront, and deal with the stress in your life:
If youre having trouble dealing with your stress, or you find yourself crying all the time, you might be dealing with a mental health condition such as major depression or bipolar disorder. These are serious mental health conditions that require medical treatment. If youre concerned, see your mental healthcare provider right away for help.
Read Also: What To Do When Stressed And Anxious
How Do You Clear Your Mind
Clearing your mind is sometimes needed when youre having unhelpful thoughts in your head or imagining catastrophic outcomes. Not only that, clearing your mind is a great way to calm down and get some rest. Here are some ways that you can clear your mind with style.
- Play some white noise and focus on that. Some people may go to a waterfall, but not everyone has access to that. Play some sounds through your computer, phone, or other devices, and focus on it. A blowing fan can even work for this.
- Take some deep breaths. Focus on the breathing and how it enters your body. Air moving in, air moving out. Any thoughts that pass by, let them pass.
- Try getting into a new hobby. Sometimes, old hobbies are not enough.
Psychology Today has a good article for this. In the Psychology Today post, they list some proven ways to clear your mind. These include:
We say to check out that Psychology Today article and see it for yourself.
Take Charge Of Your Health
Your physical and emotional health should be a priority both when youre at work and when you arent. Not only does staying healthy help reduce stress it also helps you better manage the stressors that pop up throughout your day.
Activities like regular exercise actually help to reduce stress, whether youre in the office or outside of it. So if youre having a high-anxiety moment, take a short break and go walk up and down a few flights of stairs to burn off some of that extra energy.
When you get home after a long day, keep moving. Exercising regularly also gives you an excuse to think about the things that are stressing you out at work. Taking some time away from starting at a screen to organize your thoughts is also beneficial and can help you better figure out how to handle stressful situations.
Eating well also helps manage stress, including what you eat before and after you leave for the office and what you bring with you or purchase for lunch. It isnt just about eating the right foods, either: stress tends to make us eat too much or too little, so its important to keep your stress eating habits in mind.
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Try Mindfulness And Meditation
While worrying, you may have a hard time focusing on anything else.
When you feel your concentration waning, sitting in a quiet room and clearing your mind can do wonders for your well-being. Mindfulness and meditation can take your focus away from negative thoughts and inspire a state of calm.
A guided meditation app can help you practice clearing your mind, refocusing your thoughts, or distracting yourself from your worries. Over time, meditation can help you get into a flow state, which allows you to focus on your priorities and knock tasks off your to-do list with ease.
