Worry. It’s a pervasive issue that can cause many of us to fret terribly. However, worrying is not all bad. If we didn’t worry, for example, we would have little idea what things actually mean to us, and how to plan for their safety. For example, if you had no natural worry about the safety of your child, we would consider you somehow deficient or uncaring, perhaps even mentally ill. If you had little care for being injured or coming into danger, we would think the same.

But it’s the worry that is pervasive and unneeded that can often cause us the most problems. If feeling elated all the time is certainly not a good sign of health, then feeling worriful 24/7 could be a real issue. Some manage to handle it, but you needn’t be paralyzed with worry for it to be affecting your life. Sometimes, you just need to figure out a way to stop worrying about the little things, and open yourself up to enjoying your life how you can.

Let us help you achieve that:

Consider The Things That Matter

Sometimes, it’s not how you avoid worrying over the little things, but how you might shift your focus to care about the larger priorities in life. This means taking care of your health as a first and foremost consideration. This is because those who have short-term pulls and inclinations will only consider that which is around them, while the with a long-term perspective will start looking at the bigger picture. For example, it might be that you resolve a current issue with your sibling in order to avoid a lifetime of bad blood and negative feeling. It could be that despite it feeling terrible, working out hard to get yourself in shape can help you feel much more healthy, like yourself, and perhaps plan your future means of continuing to feel this good.

You can start by imagining what is most important to you. We would hazard a guess and say that your family, your career, your romantic life, your health, and your security all matter to you to begin with. This is often the case when we see the hierarchy of needs, and it makes a lot of sense. It might be that you’re sacrificing your family in order to escape your home after work, because you can’t deal with double the stress. When in reality, heading to your ‘home from home’ only leaves you feeling guilty and unhappy in yourself, while heading home and fixing whatever issues are there could be a major benefit to you. To us, that sounds fantastic and well worth enjoying.

Sort Out The Little Implements Of Your Life

It’s the little things that we have to maintain that can often cause us those micro-stresses that add up over time. For example, it might be that you’re sick of paying for so many subscriptions, or not having your schedule planned out, or being continually reminded of the games progress you have abandoned on your phone. Perhaps you’re annoyed about that hole in your shoes you keep forgetting to repair, or that your favourite coat is starting to gain loose threads. Perhaps your alarm noise annoys you in the morning (aside from rudely awaking you,) and you’ve been meaning to change it for some time. Perhaps you write a lot for your job, and despite wanting to learn how to touch-type, you’ve simply been using this hackneyed-version that seems to work well for you, but can also hurt your hands.

Just sort out the little things, then you don’t need to worry about them anymore. It might be that pile of laundry today, or telling John next door to turn his television down tomorrow. If you’re not careful, these things can suffocate you.

In reality, it only takes a moment to pay for a yearly subscription or assess if you really need that service. It only takes a moment to add a date to your calendar through the form of an app. It takes seconds to purchase an unlimited data plan SIM to ensure your phone is always able to be used as you intend it. The same goes for changing an alarm sound, learning a small but necessary skill, or confronting someone about something you need them to change. After all, we do not fix our problems by hoping they’ll go away, but by taking a headstrong attitude and trying to complete them well. If you can do this, you’ll notice that those micro-worries can evaporate, and you’ll likely feel a lot better as a result.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

You cannot simply ‘think your way’ out of worrying. Worrying is a fundamental part of our design, and sometimes, it can be a little more vibrant than it should be. For that reason, we can find our life becoming paused as we find it harder and harder to live in a functional sense. The best thing you can do is ask for help if this happens.

However, the thing about excess worriers is that they’ll also worry about wasting the time of a medical professional for an issue they do not believe they should have. They might turn the blame inward, telling themselves that if only they could be brave and get through a full day they would be fine. But that’s not always the most healthy solution going forward, and of course, it completely ignores the very vital need for self-love in all its forms. For that reason, do not be afraid to ask for help. It can sometimes save your life.

But first, you need to know what to look for. Here are some tips as to how you might identify you have a problem with anxiety and worrying. First, simple household tasks feel more and more difficult to deal with. You might dread even the most surface level responsibilities, such as heading to a laundromat or even taking your pet for a walk. You might find yourself increasingly staying indoors, having trouble at work, and cutting yourself off from social events. Agoraphobic symptoms might start. Your sleeping pattern can get out of line, and you might find yourself either losing or gaining weight rapidly (an inability to leave the house can also deeply contribute to this. On top of that, you might feel more and more trapped, and continually feel sensations of oncoming doom. Sometimes, you might also find that panic attacks can be a natural extension of this. If you feel any of that, it can be best to speak to a healthcare professional, who should be best able to help you overcome your issues.

Have Something That Sustains You

If you have no hobbies that sustain you, no interests you can delve into, nothing that you look forward to during the day outside of your regular duties, it can be that you’re prone to think about the things that do not matter. Filling your days with something constructive and sometimes social can help you both come out of your shell, and start to feel a sense of progression. This way you can become stronger, braver, and more interested in the world around you.

This might be attending a local theatre group, volunteering, learning about history, running a podcast, or heading to the gym. One thing doesn’t necessarily exclude another.

With these tips, we hope you’re better able to stop worrying about the little things.