Do you sometimes stay awake worrying about your problems? Can’t focus, feeling stuck, can’t eat or can’t stop eating because something is worrying you? Read on to find out what you can do about it.
A Proven recipe for overcoming worry
We all have a tendency to worry about possible undesired outcomes in the future. Ironically, the more we worry, the more likely it becomes for those outcomes to be manifested.
It works like that: Suppose you have an exam in 4 weeks’ time. You are already worried about failing the exam. At this stage, looking objectively at the situation in a rare moment of sanity you are able to acknowledge to yourself that the actual chances of you failing this exam are quite low, about 2 out of 10. In that same rare moment of sanity, you are also able to recognize that the level of worrying you experience about the possibility of failing the exam is 8 out of 10. Obviously, we have an unstable equation: worrying about the event is 8, while the chances of the event happening are 2. This is against the universal law of balance. Therefore, one of two things is bound to happen:
Option 1: Your realization of the ridiculousness of your state of mind will help you bring the level of worry down to 2 out of 10, that will allow you to focus and study, and your chances of failing will stay low.
Option 2: You continue to worry, which will prevent you from studying properly, and the chances of you failing the exam will increase to 8 out of 10 in order to match your levels of anxiety.
The example above describes self-fulfilling prophesy at work. Energy goes where our attention is, and therefore we bring about what we fear. Our focus is the most powerful manifestation tool. Hence, to change an outcome, we need to change our focus. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Firstly, you need to take an objective look at a situation that poses a possible future problem and determine the likelihood of the doom happening. Secondly, you need to bring your focus back to the present. If you are going to worry about something, it may as well be something real, something that’s already a fact. Taking a realistic look at your exam situation, it may turn out that you are presently short on time, or you are unmotivated, or you don’t have access to the material you need for the exam. These are different problems altogether. Granted, they may be problems, yet none of them implies you failing the exam. Determine what exactly the problem in real time is. Then take action to resolve it. Taking action is the only way to stop worrying and consequently bring about a positive outcome instead of a negative one.
Taking action requires you to get up and do something, which will take your mind off your fears. Ask for time off work, do some research to gather more information, see a professional to discuss options that can help you feel motivated. You have 4 weeks before your exam. That’s plenty of time to manifest success rather than failure, as long as your focus stays on consistently taking action rather than fearing the worst.
