I stopped worrying and started living. You can do it too.

Are you a professional at worrying? Is worrying your day trade? Take my advice and get out of this trap.

How many times have you panicked over some event that, eventually, never happened?

How many instances of frantic short paced walks have you completed in your living room, trying to come up with a perfect solution to that pesky little problem that you think you’re going to come across in the future?

All of us, including myself, at some point in our lives have been haunted by the ghosts of the imaginary problems from our future.

We've spent countless nights in anxiety, fretting over things that may or may not happen.

Suffering the future is indeed a peculiar human trait.

I don’t think a Lion ever loses sleep, or wakes up sweating in the midnight, anxious and worried about tomorrow’s breakfast.

Humans, on the other hand, are in a constant state of flux over several things at a time, like their job, finances, health, that weekend party (if they’re an introvert) etc.

We have been given this unique ability: to think.

And thinking about the future comes with the territory I guess.

But this habit wherein one is always worried, either about their future or over their present, can be a source of consistent tension, mental agony and suffering.

Stay on this path and one may become totally oblivious to what’s happening around them.

This is not a good way to live.

How not to worry?

First, being a human, worrying is natural. I’m not saying that you’ll become a monk if you follow these prescriptions.

Worrying is fine.

Worrying too much and constantly, that too every day, is what I’m trying to target here.

So, here’s some advice on how to stop worrying and start living.

This advice comes from my own personal experience.

• Live in the present: Know that all you have with you is this present moment. Why worry over things that may never happen in the future. And if they do, they’ll surely be not as bad as you presently think.
• The logical way: Remember, if there’s a problem, and you can do something about it, you’ve got no reason to worry. Take that action. Further, if there’s an issue, and you can do nothing about it, you’ve got no reason to worry either.
• Take action: We worry because it tricks our mind into thinking that we’re addressing the issue at hand or doing something about it. But far from it, we are actually making it worse. We are suffering the consequences of the things that may never occur in the first place. Take action. Figure out how you can address the root cause.
• Meditate. Slow down. Take deep, slow breaths. It’ll calm your mind. You’ll realise the futility of your worry. Mindfulness ensures you stay in the moment.
• Revisit your past: Try to remember instances from your past where you were so worried about an outcome. Think how the situation actually panned out in the end. More often than not, everything would’ve worked out just fine, or in a far less horrifying way as you might have expected it to.
• Life is never a smooth ride. Acknowledge it. People who are constantly worried are often those who are scared of something going wrong. They dread it. This fear takes over their mind, and consumes them. Remember that life is not meant to be a smooth ride. Bumps, highs, lows, peaks and dips are what makes life worth living. Just imagine a life where nothing went wrong. Ever. That’d make life quite boring and mundane. Isn’t it!

So, next time you start worrying, try remembering this advice.

And if does help, share it with others.

Happy living!

🙂