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Hey, what’s your worry? #motivation #inspiration #quote #WednesdayWisdom

Barbara White Daille Posted on by

Last week we discussed a couple of tips about how to get a handle on your worry:

1. Write a comprehensive To-Do list and check it daily.

2. Set a timer for X number of minutes of worry. (I decided on five minutes.)

I don’t know about you, but those tips have been working for me.

Today, I want to focus more specifically on what we choose to worry about.

Here’s a quote I love:

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened.”

The above is often attributed to the author Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. Whether Clemens actually said the words about himself or about the stories he created doesn’t make a bit of difference as far as I’m concerned.

What’s important is, I just know he meant those words for me.  😉

Maybe for you, too?

My husband always tells me I worry about things that will never happen. He’s right. And I expend a lot of energy and waste a lot of valuable time doing it. If you feel the same, I have a suggestion.

When you do sit down to do your worrying, ask yourself:

Is this something I can control?

Is this something that will matter to me next week? Next month? Next year?

Is this worth sacrificing any of the precious worry minutes I’ve allowed myself for today?

Honestly, I attempted to rank those questions in order of importance and found out that I couldn’t. Each one is critical in its own way, and each may speak differently to different people.

I hope one of those questions will be the spark you need to cut down even more on the time you spend worrying.

And if you have any other suggestions or tips, I hope you’ll share them here, too.

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Comments

Hey, what’s your worry? #motivation #inspiration #quote #WednesdayWisdom — 6 Comments

  1. Thank you Barbara. Wonderful advice. I do like to keep lists and check off things as they get done. It helps with being overwhelmed. I’m a worrywart naturally so sometimes I do let it get the best of me, but I’m constantly working on ways to let it go.

  2. Thanks for the reminder Barbara. I try to remember to ask myself if my worry is out of control, if so, accepted it and move on. If it’s something I can control well – do something about it. I know it’s really isn’t that easy, but at least I’m trying.

  3. Good points, Judy. Sometimes all we can do is try – so keep it up!

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  4. Hi, Melissa – the checklists do keep me less overwhelmed, too. And as a big worrywart myself, I like to check out – and share – anything I think might help.

    Thanks for stopping in.

  5. What great tips. I try not to worry about anything that I can’t change right now. Life is full of worries now. I aim to worry about what ever problem is breathing down my neck at the moment. I find I stress myself too much if I think about the what if’s…

  6. It’s always those what-ifs that do us in, isn’t it, Crystal?

    And of the many problems we can’t control, tackling the most pressing one first is a good way to help lower the current stress level.

    Thanks for commenting!

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