“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened? – Winston Churchill

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.? – Arthur Somers Roche

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.? – Leo Buscaglia

“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives.? – Maya Angelou

I have a few friends and clients that are deep into the worry cycle. It is comfortable to worry. And it seems like you are actually doing something, even when you are just making yourself miserable. I want to tell everyone there is a better way than worry.

Lifehacker has an excellent post on how to deal with worry.

A few things to add to their list:

– Concentrate on what you have, not on what you don’t have.

– I know when you get stuck in fear and worry, it seems like everything is impossible. And there are no solutions. We can waste precious time and energy worrying. But unless you are planning or problem solving all that thinking just makes you live a bad moment one more time then you need to. Which is a real bummer when it doesn’t even come to pass.

– Since you are using your imagination thinking the worst, use your imagination to shrink that image and let it blow away in the wind

– Instead of obsessing over what might happen, ask yourself what you would do if that did happen. Come up with some solutions. You will feel more confident and able to handle anything.

– Ask yourself if worrying is helping your situation

– Breathe, listen to music, journal, pray, call a positive friend

– Watch how you talk to yourself, turn your negative self talk into postitive, confident talk – even if you don’t fully feel that way yet

– Tell your thoughts to stop when they start obsessively worrying

– If you tend to worry a lot, stay away from the news and negative or violent TV/movies

What are ways you deal with worry?