Worrying Doesn't Help

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

25 May 2008 02:40 PM

I know this is a cliché, after all, how many times have you been told to stop worrying because worrying does not help the situation? We've all heard it a thousand times and yet, many of us find ourselves right back here in the pit of worry. As a parent, particularly, it can be tough to break the worry habit. I am learning, however, that there are some constructive things I can do when I start to feel myself wrestling with worry...

Here what happens when I get into a state of worry-not only do I give into feeling stress and fear in the present moment, but I can pull up past experiences AND I do think that worry can have an influence on the future. Call me "woo woo" but I think that our fear and negative energy associated with worry can actually bring more stress and fearful experiences into our lives. Some people use this to justify worrying saying "well, now I know why I was worrying, this proves it!" When, I think, they brought about the troublesome situation with all that worry.

Worrying can also get a person in a state of mind that makes it difficult to deal with challenges and stress when they do arrive. We exhaust ourselves my clinging to so much worry and fussing, and then we are unable to face (or enjoy) the realities of what actually happens.

Combat worry with trust. Tell yourself that things will unfold exactly as they are supposed to and that you will be able to face anything that comes along. When it comes to our children, it can be really hard to turn off the worry (especially with all the media reports of freak accidents and abductions that fuel our natural fear) but we can still go to a place of trust-trust that our children will do the right thing, trust in the inherent goodness of people, and trust that someone out there is looking out for us.

Also: Do You Worry About What Other People Think? Developmental Milestones and When You Should Worry

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