Does worrying create more worry?

  The origin of the word worry comes from the old English word, wyrgan. which meant "to strangle". People that continually worry about their problems carry great amounts of stress and uneasiness. The more we worry about our problems and concerns, the more stress we generate in our physical and mental bodies. This can lead to self destructive behavior such as nail biting, fidgeting, hair pulling, teeth grinding and skin picking. Other symptoms may arise such as upset stomachs or ulcers, insomnia, headaches, muscle tension and many other manifestations of the stress and anxiety.

  Many people with worry allow their worries to take over. It can begin to feel as though it is impossible to get a grasp.

  Often times, worrying is a learned behavior. Individuals who grew up in environments that were highly unpredictable as a child can develop this habit and carry it with them into adulthood. Alternately if someone was raised by a parent or guardian that worried, it is not uncommon for that person to begin to habitually model the parents behavior. Hypnosis is an excellent tool to reprogram the mind with positive thought processes. By realigning the subconscious patterns one can begin to move to a more relaxed, controlled state of mind.

 Here is an easy exercise that can take as little as 5 minutes a day. By practicing the follow exercise daily it can cognitively begin to remove worry from the mind.

• Simply find a place where you won't be disturbed and for 5 minutes focus on nothing but your worries, concerns and problems. If you need 15 minutes, thats okay, take your time!
• Write down all the issues that are causing worry in your life today. It may be a problem with your job or career, a housing situation, a health issue, relationship issues, financial concerns, family problems, past trauma etc. Make a list to get it out of your mind and onto the paper.
• Write down solutions to these issues. What resources do you require to fix/heal/improve this issue? What resources do you have already that will help? Can you do this on your own or are others involved? Do you need to seek professional guidance?
• Set a goal date for when you want each issue to be fixed or solved.
• Put away the paper in a safe location.
• Affirm to yourself that you have spent enough time on the issues today and that you will only think of them again at your next worry session.
• Clear your mind and relax.

By taking time out of your day to worry, you become more constructive when dealing with worries and issues. Writing out solutions and a goal date for worries makes it much easier to handle. Sometimes things don't look half as bad once you write them down. Writing them down forms a better image of the tasks at hand.

Start by doing your worry list once a day for 7 days and see the difference that you act, feel and behave. Remind yourself that this is your time for worrying and once you put the paper away, you will leave those problems until the next worry time.

The second and subsequent times that you do this exercise, take the paper out and write down anything you have accomplished, add any new concerns and think of any new actions you can take to complete the list! Soon, your list will get smaller leaving you feeling relaxed, refreshed and in control.