An antidote for worrying - this, here, now

Do you find yourself worrying about things? Do the same concerns seem to go round and round in your head? Would you like to find some peace and respite from all this mental ‘noise’?

If so, you are very far from alone. Clients often come to therapists wanting to talk about their worries and anxieties. Often their goal is more to be free of worrying, than to sort out whatever it might be they are worrying about. This makes sense when worry has become a habit. One client told me recently, “when I sort out one worry, it’s as if my mind goes looking for the next one, it just seems to need something to stress about.” 

Worry is usually about something we fear might happen in the future, or something that happened in the past that we fear the consequences of. It distracts us from whatever we are doing right now, taking our focus to something else, sometime else, some-place else. So what can be done? 

A simple but powerful antidote to worry is to open our awareness of what is happening right here, right now. Looking around and becoming aware of what you can see, hear, smell, feel and even taste, grounds you in the moment you are in. Gently bringing your focus to your physical experience, noticing what you sense in your body right now can interrupt the flow of worries and anxieties.

Don’t get me wrong, while this may sound simple, it is not always easy. Most often we need to bring ourselves back to the here and now again and again and again. As we do, the mind becomes more accustomed to focusing on this here and now and less inclined to add worries to the spontaneous thoughts that serve to distract us.

This mindful practice of being where you are with all of your attention is a good way to address anxiety.  Why not give it a try? 

A counsellor can help you start addressing your habitual worrying and find peace of mind.