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From the Inside Out
ELIMINATING WORRY
What, me worry? How many people get distracted by worry
to the
point they lose focus? How much stress does worry cause?
Here are
six reasonable questions to ask that will eliminate worry
95% of
the time:
1. Will it matter a year from now?
Whatever it is that is really pressuring you, ask the
question,
"will it matter a year from now?" This is a
favorite of
mine, with co-workers, friends, and others. When I see
someone really
stressing out, I usually ask, "why?" The reason
is usually
something pretty simple, that they are looking at from a
time perspective.
Perhaps a co-worker is bothering them. Or, they lost an opportunity
at work. Maybe a bill is due that they are not sure they can pay
right now.
The reality is, almost all stresses are worked out, through time,
and by looking at it, a year from now, we remove the immediate pressure
of the stressor.
2. Are there ways to diffuse it (take direct personal action)?
If we can take the worry and look at it in a new way, from a fresh
perspective, this may relieve us. Also, there might be ways to eliminate
the worry, such as with a particular bill, by simply paying it.
That diffuses the worry. Taking action directly associated with
the worry is the best way to resolve the worry.
If you've been stressing about an issue you know you can resolve
personally, but it has seemed overwhelming to you, I have a mantra
you can use to help move beyond the worry:
"I can handle this, this is no big deal. I'm
fantastically
on top of this."
Then, do the action you know will resolve the issue to
manifest
your reality.
3. What can I do to delegate it to someone
else?
Delegating issues to eliminate worry is the next best
approach to
resolve worry after taking direct personal action. The
reason for
this is that we still have to schedule a follow-up to make
sure
the person who was delegated the task completed it.
If we have the option to delegate a task which is not our core,
so that we might focus on a task which IS our core, then delegation
makes sense.
4. Can someone else help me deal with it (find assistance)?
Getting assistance to help with the worry issue can be helpful.
Now you have a team to deal with it! Teamwork helps make the issue
seem less of a challenge because now there are multiple hands, multiple
eyes and ears assigned to the challenge. This is also a great way
to improve friendships.
5. How can I relax to distract myself from the worry issue?
If we cannot deal with the issue causing us worry, then perhaps
we can simply relax or go play a sport or hobby, to distract ourselves
from worry. I find this is highly effective unless I could have
taken action to diffuse the worry, first, in which case distractions
serve only as procrastination.
6. If I don't do it, will it really matter?
Then don't do it! Any time we worry, the reason usually has to do
with thinking "what if..." questions that are beyond our
control. "What if the market crashes?" "What if my
company lays people off?" "What if I get a new manager?"
These are all examples of "what if" questions that
we probably have no direct control over. Worrying about "what
if" questions does nothing for us but cause us stress.
By focusing on what is important NOW and taking action that I really
CAN DO now, a step at a time, worry subsides. And remember to smile
and breath deeply - these two actions will help you keep your stress
down. What, me worry? No more!
~Scott Andrews
www.AspireNow.com