This simple strategy decreases anxiety and fear

This simple strategy decreases anxiety and fearThis simple strategy decreases anxiety and fearThe future is filled with unknowns.There is so much uncertainty, not only regarding personal issues, but also global and political issues.This uncertainty often leads to worry.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraSome estimate that people spendnearly six yearsof their lives worrying about the future. Ironically,a primary regretin older peoples lives was the time they spent worrying, according to Cornell professor Karl Pillimer, who interviewed over 1,200 elderly people.Over and over Pillimer heard the same thing.I wish I hadnt spent so much of my life worrying.For instance, John Alonzo, aged 83, said, Dont believe that worrying will solve or help anything. It wont. So stop it.Similarly, James Huang, aged 87, statedWhy? I ask myself. What possible difference did it make that I kept my mind on every little thing that might go wrong? When I realized that it made no difference at all, I experienced a freedom thats hard to describe. My life lesson is this Turn yurself from frittering away the day worrying about what comes next and let everything else that you love and enjoy move in.From the vantage point of being near-death, lifeseems very short.Time is a precious and very finite resource. The longer you live, the more you realize your time on this beautiful planet is brief.The research is clear, worrying often leads tolong-term health consequences, including cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.Not surprisingly, research has found that people with anexternal locus of controlspend much more time worrying than those with an internal locus of control. Your locus of control is what you believe dictates the course of your life.External or internal. Either youre in control of your life or something else is.If something else is, you should be worried. After all, th eres nothing you can do about it.Conversely, when you have an internal locus of control, you proactively take care of the situation. You dont wait for life to come to you. You act, not react.Worrying doesnt solve your problems. Actually, when you worry, you perform worse. Your working memory (short-term), which should be focused on the task, is being used up worrying.Worrying is a form of self-inflicted torture.Write itDownSeveral research studies have found thatwriting downwhat youre worried about can calm you down.There are two separate groups of researchers who have found that writing reduces your worries about the future. However, these groups prescribe different things to writeabout.Researchers at University of Colorado have found that writing about your personal values, such as family and friends, helps you perform better. They call this values affirmation. According to the researchers,It reminds you what you stand for.Conversely, researchers at The University of Chicago have found that having students write directly about their concerns helps reduce their worrying. According to Dr. Beilock at U. of Chicago,When you write, you might reappraise the situation?- ?thinking about what has to be done, rather than what you might lose.The cool part is, both interventions work. Ive personally done a blend of both for a long time without being aware of the scientific findings to back it.If Im about to give a public speech, or if Im worrying about anything in particular, I write down the things that are important to me and the things Im worrying about. It puts things into proper perspective, helping me realize thatit doesnt really matter.Everything is going to be okay.Burn ItAnother interesting approach, less scientifically-validated, is writing down what youre worried about and thenburning the piece of paper.Some call this practice Write and Burn, others call it Burning Release.Thinking about what youre worried about brings your emotions to the surface. While you write, you re-frame your thinking toward those worries. Burning what youve written down is a helpful way ofletting go.Write down what youre worried about.Acknowledge it.Burn it.Let it go.Keep moving forward.Pain is Inevitable, Suffering isOptionalBetween stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.?- ?Viktor FranklThe sensation of fear or concern is actually highly beneficial. It reflects the body responding to a stimulus, directing where you should be paying attention. However, these sensations are meant to be learned from andresponded to, not dwelt in.Said Ryan Holiday inThe Obstacle is the Way,There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means. Worrying is when you take something and atatch negative emotions and meaning to it, which leads tounnecessary suffering.Looking Back, Youll RegretWorryingWha t great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail??- ?Robert H. SchullerWorrying is generally focused on something uncertain about the future, like passing a test. Once youve finished or completed what you were previously worried about, you see it withnew eyes.Now that youve done it, you understand it. Theres nothing to worry about. You know the process. Youve watched yourself do it, so its reasonable to believe you could do it again if necessary.But if you havent yet done something, you dont usually have that level of confidence and understanding.But could you?You absolutely can. This is what Tony Robbins callsresolve.To have resolve means Its done, even before youve actually done it. Youvedecidedyou are going to do something, yourecommittedto it for the long-haul, and in your mind, itsalready a done-deal.You are resolved.It is finished.Hence, Ralph Waldo Emerson wisely stated,Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.Get out of your head, that s where worrying will keep you.Un-clench yourself.Take a few breaths.Quit torturing yourself (and those around you).You are going to make it through this. You mid as well enjoy it.How I Turned $25,000 Into $374,592 In Less Than 6MonthsIve created a free training that will teach you how to become world-class and successful at anything you choose.Access the free trainingherenowThis article first appeared on Medium.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people