I grew up in a family that was highly anxious and worried pretty much everything, I thought this was normal, so it was only natural for me to grow overly concerned about everything.

I was raised in a dangerous neighborhood, and in a low-income household. We were always worried about our safety and security. Financially we weren’t well off, cable would go off frequently, and letters from our landlord was a frequent occurrence.

These worries caused me very high anxiety and created avoidant behavior within myself. I feared checking the mail, worried that there would be a bill that I wouldn’t be able to pay. Which would be true, but by me not facing what I worried about caused me more financial distress.

Does this story sound familiar to your circumstances? Maybe not the same exact situation, but can you see similarities in terms of just being a worry wort?

Now more than ever we have so many reasons to worry. We are inundated with constant news about the future and how bad it’s becoming. It’s either covid is coming back or a recession, a violent murderer on the loose, people can’t afford their homes, and natural disasters that are happening throughout the world.

This is what is being pushed to our attention daily, on top of all the things we are facing in our daily lives like our future, our family’s future, our income, our health.

There is always something to worry about.

In this blog I will be discussing why we worry and how we can release worry and create behaviors that is positive and helpful to our well-being.

Why do we worry?

We worry because we are trying to anticipate a future event, the thing is when we anticipate the future it’s always negative. “What if something bad happens?” or “What if I can’t handle it?” “What if I get sick?” or “what if I lose my job”.

When you worry about the unforeseen future know that this is a form of control, there is a desire for control of the situation. You are attempting to make what’s not known known.

Worry gives you the illusion that you are “problem solving”. There is a belief that if you worry that you are preparing for the worst, so that you won’t be surprised or hurt.

It can serve as an attempt to regain a form of control over the situation. A person may worry in order to prepare for the worst, so that they won’t be surprised or hurt.

But this is not effective because all that worry is doing is causing high anxiety and anxiety feeds on things that aren’t known, attempting to make what’s not known known, which spirals to you feeling anxious and out of control.

How to stop worrying?

Breaking the habit of worrying takes time and effort, especially if this behavior has been ingrained in you since childhood. It’s also important to realize what are the things that are in our control and what is not.

I have been working on releasing worry for years and there have been times when I have fallen into old patterns. But the most important part is to consistently work on releasing worry and control, you will slowly start to see change.

“The opposite of control is acceptance.”

Acceptance

When you start to notice the downward spiral of worry, you will realize it because you will feel it in your body.  You will notice it in your moods, you can’t be joyful and happy while also being worried.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What am I worried about?
• What can I do about this worry?
• Are my worries based on reality?

The next step is acceptance, accept what is happening without resistance, most anxiety thrives on resistance once you can accept the situation for what it is the resistance is gone.

When you lose resistance, that anxiety loses a ton of its force.

Have Faith

Having faith has been an important part of my journey, I always felt like I had to have control over everything since I only had myself.  I didn’t believe that God was going to be able to take care of my needs.

But once I started to put faith in God, and in my ancestors and believe that they were watching over me and wanted my best interest I worried less.  When I lost my job, I had faith that when one door closed that my ancestors, God, the universe would have my back and give me another opportunity.

You see when you give your problems over to a higher power and trust with absolute certainty that you will be fine, things tend to work out for you.

Stop watching fear-mongering news!!!!!!

The news is big on playing on your fears, this is how they keep ratings up, they do not care for your mental wellbeing. You must take care of your own wellbeing, so be mindful of what you watch on TV.

Even on social media, make sure you are following people who are inspirational and optimistic, remember what you consume will consume you.

Don’t get caught up in the trap.

In Conclusion

In the journey to overcome worry and relinquish control of uncertainty, remember that embracing the unknown is a courageous act of faith and resilience.

You have the strength within you to embrace a worry-free life. Start today, and remember, a peaceful mind is a gift you give yourself