The Worry Buster

/ Articles / By
Stress & burnout

Worry is a sustained form of FEAR – Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real. 

A study has shown that about 91% of worries don’t come true (LaFreniere & Newman, 2020). This means that most of what people worry about never happens.

Here’s a way to help defuse worries:
 
  1. Clearly define your worry or concern.
    .
  2. Get more specific by asking: How is this actually a problem right now?
    .
  3. Ask yourself: What is the worst possible outcome (should the worry manifest)?
    .
  4. Ask yourself: Even if things turned out as bad as the worst case scenario, what positive learning would I have gained through having had that experience?
    .
  5. Ask yourself: How will I experience myself (how will I be) once I’ve overcome my worry and everything turned out well.
    .
  6. Ask yourself: As this successful person (elicited in 4.) what step can I take now to resolve that which I used to worry about?
    .
  7. Take that important step and continue living worry free.

You never know how far a change will go… So choose the change that’s right for you, starting today!

Watch a video where I teach a similar skill.

Reference:

LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2020). Exposing Worry’s Deceit: Percentage of Untrue Worries in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatment. Behavior therapy, 51(3), 413–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2019.07.003

Written by Jevon Dangeli – MSc Transpersonal Psychology, Coach & Trainer