Worries are consuming me. How can I manage this?
Worries are natural reactions to different situations that we do not know, uncertain situations or those that imply some type of challenge. When we allow these worries to take over and dominate us, we use excessive energy and our ability to make the best decisions is affected.
There are many types of worries and not all of them have an immediate solution. Here is the key, we must manage worries in a practical way and also in a strategic way. When we organize our worries we can manage them more clearly, this allows us to discover solutions, and we see that it is much simpler than we imagine, even if we do not find a solution directly we can manage it effectively.
To manage our worries effectively we can adopt an exercise by writing the following on a sheet of paper: We divide it into 3 columns and in the first column we write "The worry", in the second column we write "Does it have a solution?" and in the third column we write: What have I learned? What actions can I take?
We must identify what is worrying us, without judging whether that worry is simple or complex, whether it is big or small. This step is VERY important as it allows us to remove that worry from our mind.
In the second column we will be very honest when answering, we will state whether that concern has a solution, remember to put the answer "yes or NO" or maybe "Not now" if it is the case that the solution depends on another person.
In the action or reflection column, when the answer is "YES", we will immediately write down what we will do to resolve or improve the situation. If the answer is "NO", we will reflect on why that concern has no solution, but we must also write down something that allows us to accept that reality. Let us remember that simply accepting what worries us is already the beginning of the solution and finding the peace we seek. When the answer is "Not now" we must keep in mind and record the concern in order to find a solution in the future, but we must give it a date of execution.
| Concern | Is there a solution? | Action/Reflection |
|---|---|---|
| Project delayed at work | Yes | Dedicate an extra hour a day this week |
| Health of a family member | Not now | Call to offer support, stay available |
| Financial concern | Yes | Review budget and reduce unnecessary expenses |
| Change of weather (makes me anxious) | No | Accept that I can't change it, focus on myself |