DON’T WORRY. BE HAPPY.

Are you a nervous Nellie who constantly frets about everything and anything? You are not alone. According to a recent study, most Americans worry about a plethora of issues, most of which are things that are outside of our control.

 
Worrying doesn’t just have a negative impact on our mental health, it can also wreak havoc on our physical body with chronic health issues like cardiovascular disease. While some worrying can be helpful because it can spur us into action and solve the problem at hand, if you are preoccupied with worst-case scenarios and constant ‘what ifs’, those never-ending doubts and fears can have the opposite effect and paralyze us.

 
But worrying doesn’t have to drain all your emotional energy and interfere with your daily life, it is possible to train your brain to stay calm and collected and develop a more balanced, positive perspective on life.

 
Exercise is the most commonly prescribed cure to stop worrying because of the release of a multitude of feel-good hormones, but you don’t have to break a sweat every time you want to calm your worries.

 
Here are our TOP 10 tips that help you to stop worrying and take your mind off of your troubles and fears.

 


 
#1 Exercise More
Exercise is one of the few things that consistently works well to move out of a headspace that is full of worries to a more relaxed state of mind and release inner tension. Exercising helps you to focus and affects the brain activity of serotonin (one of the happy hormones). Additionally, we all know that exercise releases endorphins, which can result in lower levels of stress and anxiety, releasing our worries. While exercise and medication seem to have similar initial effects, in the long run, exercise works a lot better than any pill can.

 
#2 Change Your Bedtime
If stay up until the wee hours of the morning, you are feeding your worries. A recent study showed that people who stay up late and only sleep for short amounts of time are much more likely to have negative, worrisome thoughts than those who keep a regular sleep schedule. Sleep deprivation makes you dwell on the past and worry about the future and if you don’t get enough sleep at night you are much more prone to depression and anxiety. Researchers recommend to be asleep between the hours of 10pm and 4am to get the most benefits in terms of eliminating worries and keep a more positive outlook on life.

 
#3 Meditate
Even brain scans support the notion that meditating and taking some time to find your zen can help to lower anxiety levels. Besides lowering anxiety levels, it has been found that a daily meditation practice has the power to affect the anterior cingulate cortex, which is in charge of controlling emotions and thoughts and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is in charge of worrying. So set aside some time every day to sit or lie down and meditate. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, simply focusing on your breath for a few minutes will get you started and has hugely positive effects on your physical and mental well-being.

 
#4 Eat Chocolate
Generally speaking sugary treats aren’t good for you and your worries, because you get a sugar high and then crash, exacerbating a stressful, worrisome situations. However, having a piece of dark chocolate can be helpful in letting go of worries and calm your nerves. Studies show that participants who had 1 to 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily for only two weeks were able to significantly lower stress hormone levels throughout their entire body.

 


 
#5 Write Down Your Worries
A great way to let go of your worries and all the emotions and feelings that come with it is to write it all down on a blank sheet of paper. It may seem counterintuitive to you, but putting pen to paper is like emptying out your mind and releasing it onto the paper. Once it’s written down, you are much less likely to keep worrying, because it feels like you have slain the beast.

 
#6 Take Up Knitting
Research shows that keeping your hands busy can help you to keep your mind off of worries. A study from the UK found that activities like knitting that keep your hands busy while distracting your mind can help to reduce or even prevent flashbacks from traumatic experiences, which helps to stop worrying because you don’t store and encode traumatic events. If you don’t want to take up knitting, try working with positive affirmations while occupying your fingers with mala beads.

 
#7 Smell a Grapefruit
This may sound crazy to you, but certain scents can help to reduce stress and tension and significantly improve your ability to stop worrying. While you may want to experiment with different essential oils to find what works best for you, a recent study found that grapefruit essential oil works really well for a lot of people, because it is revitalizing and refreshing and helps you to feel more energized and happy.

 
#8 Manage Your Stress
Worries grow stronger when you are stressed out, so find ways to manage your stress so you can operate from a more balanced state of mind. Healthy eating habits, exercising, good quality sleep, spending time with friends, getting a massage, engaging in your hobby, meditating, reading, listening to chill-out music, the options are endless. Find what works best for you to reduce your stress levels and avoid unhealthy habits like resorting to alcohol or junk food.

 
#9 Be Patient
For most of us, worrying is a habit that we have developed early on in life. Don’t expect to break that lifelong habit in a week or even a month. And when you catch yourself worrying about certain things after you committed yourself to stop worrying, be kind and patient with yourself. Keep working diligently on eliminating worries and don’t get discouraged if you fall off the wagon sometimes, it’s a natural part of breaking a habit. As long as you are aware that you are getting caught up in worrying, you are already one step ahead. Remind yourself that worrying isn’t going to solve any problems and move on.

 
#10 Talk About It
Instead of ruminating about and overthinking your worries, talk about them with someone close to you. Talking about your worries with a trusted person will make the situation a whole lot clearer and shed some light on your problems to see the issue for what it really is. Venting about your worries can make a huge difference and after a few minutes you will start to wonder why you were so worried in the first place. Sometimes it even works when you simply talk to yourself out loud, other times it can be helpful to get a more objective perspective from someone else to help you let go of your worries.

 
Commit yourself to worry less and diligently and patiently work on yourself and we promise you, life will become more beautiful, because the time you free up by eliminating worries can be filled with incredible, wonderful things. You will realize how much more physical and mental energy you have when you stop worrying and your happiness levels will increase significantly.

 
BREAK THE CYCLE OF WORRY AND REGAIN YOUR LIFE
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked