‘How to stop worrying and start living’ is originally a book written by Dale Carnegie. The book tells you seven ways to conquer worry and start leading a happy life. And, it lists all the side effects of worrying too much, including its toll on your health.

The book helped millions of people ditch their worrisome lifestyles. You may think that’s exaggerating, but more than six million copies of the book were sold.

Well, nowadays, the definition of worrying is different from the past. In the end, the book was written in 1948. Now, different things cause us to worry, and we typically need different mindsets to deal with them.

Here are six ways to stop worrying and start living in the modern age!

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When you’re so used to worrying, it eventually becomes a pattern of thinking. Instead of taking real action to solve the problem that’s causing you to worry, you keep procrastinating. You spend too much time worrying about the issue without taking any steps to overcome it.

These steps may include solving the problem, visiting a therapist, or even writing your thoughts. Whatever it is, try not to put off your responsibilities because it’ll only cause you to worry more.

To fight your procrastination, try to make a list of the steps you need to take. When you feel like you’re worrying about something instead of taking care of it, write it in the list.

Then, start finishing the tasks in the to-do list step by step, and your anxious thoughts will hopefully tone down a bit.

Fight Your Procrastination

Sometimes, all you need is to say your thoughts out loud to stop them from worrying you. If you have a trusted family member or friend, you can start seeking support from them. They’ll understand where you’re coming from and offer some empathy, which may be the one thing you need.

It’s worth noting that your family and friends won’t be enough at some times. If you have chronic anxiety or stress, you’ll need to talk to a professional. They won’t only listen to you, but they’ll also help you get over your worries. Alternatively, you can look for group therapy opportunities.

Share Your Thoughts

When you worry too much, it becomes a thinking pattern. So, regular daily events can trigger your anxiety, causing your heartbeats to increase and your senses to get alert. After a while, negative thinking will turn into a habit, and you’ll decipher everyday things around you as signs of adverse events. 

Like you can develop negative thinking, you can learn to replace it with other thoughts. All you need is a reality check. You need to know how often you worry throughout a single day; you can even record your negative thoughts to track how frequently they come by.

After that, think of your worries. Are they realistic? Around 80% of our anxious thoughts never happen. Think of this for a while, and you’ll be able to determine your unrealistic thoughts and replace them.

Control Your Negative Thinking

Overthinking can make a normal problem seem like the end of the world. If you’re an over-thinker, you’ll understand that well. It may cause you to hold back on some decisions and procrastinate instead of taking action.

To stop overthinking, you need to learn to make a decision in the shortest time possible. For example, if you’ve been overthinking for a while about starting a new diet, set a short time limit for that decision. Say that you’ll make your decision in 30 seconds, and do it. Then, start following the diet. 

If you’re thinking about something more significant or life-changing, you can give yourself an hour maximum and not a minute more. The short time limit will cause your mind to address only the needed considerations to make the decision, ditching the useless thoughts.

Try to Stop Overthinking

Surrounding yourself with negative people is the first step in leading a depressing life. Our mood is heavily affected by the people we spend our time with. Spending too much time with negative people and on social media platforms that share negative news will eventually have its toll on you.

When you see news of wars in some area of the world, you can’t do anything to stop it. Yet, you may be influenced by it, and it’ll ruin your mood. The same goes for everything that you see on your daily internet surfing.

To avoid that, you need to write down the blogs or social media channels that have a negative impact on your mood. Then, write the names of negative people around you. Next, make a decision to stop spending time with these people, or at least reduce the time you have with them.

Surround Yourself by Happy People

When you set the bar too high for happiness, it’ll be hard to feel happy at normal events. You’ll find yourself waiting for a huge achievement to make you happy, such as graduation, a Master’s degree, or any non-academic achievement. 

To stop this way of thinking, try to have a low bar for happiness. For example, decide that you’ll feel a sense of achievement when you manage to work out two days a week. Or feel happy when you pass a day without consuming sugar or without smoking. 

After a while, you’ll learn not to take these small achievements for granted, and you’ll know how to feel happy about everything you do.

Don’t Set Your Happiness Expectations Too High

If you want to learn how to stop worrying and start living, the first step is to control your thinking. You need to keep the negative thinking at bay, and doing that will take some time and practice. 

Remember to write your thoughts down, share them, and keep track of them. Taking decisions in a short time limit will help you overcome overthinking, and surrounding yourself with positive people will help you control the negative thinking a bit.

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How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Fight Your Procrastination

Control Your Negative Thinking

Try to Stop Overthinking

Surround Yourself by Happy People

Don’t Set Your Happiness Expectations Too High

Conclusion