Author: Juli Shulem
Worrying is psychologically debilitating and The Opposite of Worrying Planning Recently, I helped a client eliminate the worrying component in his narrative which was causing serious procrastination. This is not unusual, and here are some thoughts for those who find themselves trapped in this wheel of hell. I understand worry intimately. I know those who […]
Worrying is psychologically debilitating and The Opposite of Worrying Planning
Recently, I helped a client eliminate the worrying component in his narrative which was causing serious procrastination. This is not unusual, and here are some thoughts for those who find themselves trapped in this wheel of hell. I understand worry intimately. I know those who are chronic worriers and it can quite literally ruin your life. Everything elicits worry in their mind. The truth is that the majority of the things people worry about never manifest into anything at all.
“Time wasted when you don’t know what the outcome will be, but insist on ruminating on the possibilities.”
This is what most people do when they worry – they mull over ALL the possible problems that could occur – often to the point of mental paralysis. This can lead to serious procrastination and even stagnation. The epitome of ‘going nowhere in a hurry!” Worrying is mainly a cognitive process (Breznitz, 1971) – that means it’s all in your head.
If you are someone who worries a lot – my advice is to PLAN more.
Planning gives you a chance to consider potential roadblocks during the planning process. Let’s say you have a big project that is due soon and you are “worrying” about all the steps that need to occur in order to complete it, as well as the outcome, how it will be perceived, etc. Fine. Try this instead:
If you are so wound-up that you are too stuck to get busy, then pick the smallest, easiest first step and just do that. Starting – on anything really – gets the process going and tends to spur us into action. You may actually notice that starting that first step reduces the anxiety that’s holding you back.
“Worrying is simply the feeling caused by not knowing if something will or will not happen.” Well, if you PLAN ahead – you don’t have to concern yourself about whether something will or will not happen – you MAKE it happen. Done. Worrying is a complete waste of time. Literally.
Instead of sitting around worrying about whether it will or will not happen, you could be making progress on changing the outcome of a situation. Well, guess what? If you sit around worrying about it – you have a significantly greater chance of that thing NOT happening. Good job! Worrying can make things worse in reality by disrupting your performance of the tasks and making you miserable in the process (Davey, Tallis, & Capuzzo, 1996). However, if you plan what needs to happen and can SEE – in writing – the potential of it happening – rarely will worry creep into your mind and impede your progress.
So, the next time you start letting the ‘worry-wart’ tendencies to start growing in your mind – plan everything out and get started. This starting will help ward off negative thoughts and once you see the progress made on your tasks, chances are that the worrying will become a non-issue. Don’t worry – You’ve got this!
Breznitz, S. (1971). A study of worrying. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 10(3), 271-279.
Davey, G. C., Tallis, F., & Capuzzo, N. (1996). Beliefs about the consequences of worrying. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 20(5), 499-520.
Article written by Juli Shulem
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Author Profile
No results available
ResetThe articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Lift as You Rise is Bonang Mohale’s book, published during his tenure as CEO of Business Leadership South Africa. He is a highly respected South African businessman, who is known as much for his patriotism and his active role in seeking to advance his country’s interests as for the leading role he has played in […]
There’s one thing between you and the results you want – Discover what discomfort is stopping you to be it a higher functioning team, more leadership, more money or just more joy and happiness – you know what it is? That’s right, discomfort. If you’ve read anything about the upcoming book (or listened to me, […]
One top tip you need to maintaining a high level of engagement among all parties in any meeting is a challenge. But, doing it in a video-led environment makes the real-world challenge look like child’s play so Learn the one top tip. If you have spent any time on video calls up to now, you […]
A study of 70 top European Organisations shows that that the 10th reason they Choose One Pitch Over Another is the paper proposal. That’s not to say the paper proposal is not important but most people are neglecting the #1 reason. I share it at the biggest sales conference in Europe. “I’m not sure our […]
Culture and Talent Retention is a real challenge and employees are looking for organizations that inspire them, uplift them and create opportunities for growth and progression. Of significant importance to retaining people is the ability of an organization to create alignment between what they say and what they actually do. Misalignment of value systems is […]
Before the pandemic, we saw a clear Qubit mindset trend in evolving away from binary thinking and extending our thinking to the endless possibilities between 1 and 0. Gender identity no longer has to correspond with the one ‘given’ at birth. Business profit could go hand in hand with improved human and societal justice. Embracing […]
An interesting story of the emergence of Ferrero and Lessons Leading to Success, the famous world company with a turnover of more than 10 billion dollars, producing popular sweets and famous chocolate eggs with funny toys inside. It all started shortly after the end of World War II in a small provincial Italian town. Michele Ferrero […]
No results available
ResetOur Mission
© All rights reserved 2024. Created by Hesketh Media LLC
1902 Wright Place, Carlsbad, CA, 92008