"All I want to do is sit down for ten minutes and not worry about a single. damn. thing."
- Unknown
"Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe, and have faith that everything will work out for the best."
- Unknown
Ever wondered whether worrying is normal? Does everyone worry? If so, how much of the time? According to Karen Swarz, M.D., Director of Clinical Programs at the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center, the average person worries an average of 55 minutes a day. Typical worrying is supposedly a normal way of processing something that's important to us. A clinical case of worry, on the other hand, (Generalized Anxiety Disorder -GAD), is more concerning and involves an average of 5 hours of worrying per day.
How do we cope with the everyday type of worry? According to Helpguide.org, we can reduce our worrying with the following techniques:
* Confine our worrying to one time period during the day (give ourselves permission to worry about whatever is on our minds at this time and declare the rest of the day a worry-free zone).
* Ask ourselves if the problem is solvable (and learn to embrace our feelings, which are likely being suppressed, adding to the anxiety)
* Accept uncertainty (the KEY to anxiety relief)
* Avoid people who feed our worries and fears (we quickly "catch" moods from other people)
* Focus on the present rather than the past or future (mindfulness meditation to stay focused on the present is a simple concept, but takes practice to reap the benefits).
Apparently it is a fact that exessive worrying takes years off our lives, so it makes sense to be honest with ourselves and take steps to improve our coping strategies. Just sayin' :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
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