Worrying is something that only harms your mental health. It is considered a habit that you can learn how to break. Some people believe that worrying serves as a reminder of past experiences and preparation for the future ones. Anyway, it is definitely unhealthy and it only stops your brain from focusing on more important things other than thinking about the future that can’t be predicted or controlled.
How to train your brain to stop worrying
- Write it down
Also, writing your worries tells your brain that it is actually something important and that the brain should focus on solving the problem and not being worried about remembering what the thing that should be done is.According to researchers people who worry all the time actually have a problem of chronic avoidance. One study published in the journal Anxiety, Stress & Coping involved people who were asked to write three possible outcomes for the situations they worried about. Later, they analyzed their outcomes with practical solutions.
According to the scientists in this study ‘When participants’ problem elaborations were rated for concreteness, both studies showed an inverse relationship between degree of worry and concreteness: The more participants worried about a given topic, the less concrete was the content of their elaboration. The results challenge the view that worry may promote better problem analyses. Instead, they conform to the view that worry is a cognitive avoidance response.
- Meditation
Meditation is an excellent method for relaxing your brain and keeping it worry free. Researchers have examined the effects of meditation for reducing cognitive anxiety. Even though you may think you have no time to meditate closing your eyes for 30 seconds right now is a great way to start. You can help yourself and your brain by staying away from the sources of stress whenever you can.
Spending just a few moments of your day to relax and avoid being concerned about everything that you are going through can be of great help. Even during meditation the worrisome thoughts may appear, which is perfectly normal. With practice you can completely stop them from intruding your mind.
- Exercise
Exercising also reduces the increased heart rate and breathing that occur while you are worried. By exercising you can also reduce your blood pressure which can also increase due to stress. In case you know exactly what is the reason for your worrying take a walk for about 10 minutes. Try to enjoy the nature and your surroundings and be more aware of your body and each breath you take.
