Do you feel as if your mind is constantly filled with anxious thoughts and you are stuck in your head worried about future events? Do you feel that your subconscious mind holds you back from taking risks, reaching out, and speaking up for what you believe in? Each and every one of us experiences some sorts of worrying thoughts throughout the day whether we realize it or not.
Making up future scenarios and filling your mind with “what-ifs” can lower your confidence and make you less resilient when adversity gets in the way. We feel as if worrying protects us and prepares us for all of the possible outcomes but worrying becomes very useless due to the ways it interferes with our daily lives and decisions.
Worrying can keep you stuck in your comfort zone preventing you from moving forward and reaching your goals and aspirations.
Worrying and being stuck in your head can cause more harm than good, so it is important to analyze times where you are overthinking a situation and holding yourself back in order to transform your mindset.
Learning strategies and techniques that can help you get out of your head can drastically improve your ability to reach your goals and let go of the fear that follows you each and every day.
Below are ways that you can take action by taking control of your thoughts and letting go of the worries and anxieties you deal with on a daily basis. These strategies will allow you to be emotionally and mentally stronger and feel more confident in your capabilities in every aspect of your life.
20 Tips for Letting Go of Worry
1| Meditation
Meditating and practicing mindfulness each and every day will have so many different benefits on all aspects of your life. When you learn how to meditate properly, you will gradually be able to take control of your thoughts and understand where they are coming from.
Meditation allows you to look at your thoughts from an outside perspective and determine how to react to them rather than acting on pure emotion. When you realize where the worry some thoughts are coming from, you will be able to breathe through them and let go in order to free the mind.
When you are confident that you have full control over your thoughts and worries, you will no longer allow them to get in the way of what you want to achieve. You will learn to be more present and let go of the anxiety that you have for the future.
Start by meditating for just 20 minutes each morning. You can use a guided meditation in order to learn what meditation techniques work best for you. By doing this each and every day, you will keep yourself accountable and will feel more at peace throughout the day. Meditation has the ability to alter the mindset and change your brain chemicals, which will allow you to significantly reduce your worrying.
2| Journaling
Sometimes when there are a lot of thoughts built up in our head, we get very stressed and overwhelmed. When you were able to journal and write down everything that is causing you stress and everything that you are worried about, you’ll be able to reflect upon it and look at it from a different perspective.
You will no longer feel as caught up in your head and will be able to come to terms with these thoughts. When you write down what you’re worried about, the endless stream of possible scenarios and outcomes will slowly fade because your mind will feel clearer and you will handle situations in a more practical way. Bottling up thoughts will only make them more intense and make us more emotional, so journaling when worry comes to the mind is a great way to let go of it.
3| Set Times for Worry
It is important to know that worrying is inevitable and will enter your life nearly every day. By setting out a specific time that you will allow the mind to worry, you will likely not feel these worrisome thoughts all day.
When you know that you have a time later in the day to look at your journal and analyze what you were most worried about, you won’t feel the need to think about it all day. This will allow the mind to stay focused on the task at hand and let go of all of the things you are worried about. You will have a clearer and more balanced perspective, and this will allow you to take control of your worries.
When you feel worrying coming on throughout the day, allow yourself to write it down on a piece of paper and let go of it until your set worry period happens next. When the mind knows it will be able to think about it later, it will likely be able to let go of it much more easily.
4| Challenge Thoughts
An important way to take control of your worries and let go of the constant battle with your thoughts is to look at them and challenge them. Ask yourself why they are occurring and what exactly is upsetting you.
In order to challenge your thoughts, it is important to come up with a specific list of questions to ask yourself in these situations. You will want to ask yourself if there is a more positive way to analyze the situation, what the probability is that the worst possibly scenario will actually occur, and if the worrying is helping you or hurting you. This will allow you to stabilize the mind and calm emotions in order to handle worries in a more efficient way.
5| Analyze Roots of Worry
One of the most important ways to challenge your thoughts is by analyzing the root cause of where these worries are coming from. More often than we know, our thoughts are a result of past experiences or trauma that we may have potentially been involved in. Our subconscious mind tries to act as a protector, but this can sometimes come off as worries that are useless and push us farther back.
There are so many different roots of worry that will surprise you. It could be from overgeneralization which means that a failure in the past is making you believe that you are uncapable of anything related in the future. It could be interpreting things and overanalyzing them without any solid evidence to back your thoughts. These often cause made up scenarios in the mind that prevent us from facing our fears and keep us stuck in what is comfortable.
6| Exercise
There has been tons of research and evidence found linking exercise and reduced levels of anxiety due to many psychological and physical factors. Exercise helps many different aspects of your life and improves your overall mental and emotional well-being. This allows you to be better at controlling your mind and to face conflict with a stronger mindset.
Exercise not only helps your physical health but has a significant impact on your mental and emotional health. According to an article published by Psychology Today, regular exercise boosts levels of neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. When you are able to improve cognitive function, you will be much more capable of handling anxiety and worry and analyzing your thoughts.
7| Talk to Others
When our worries start to build up within, they can start to feel like they are taking over the mind and impacting our mental health. Worrying makes us feel like we are incapable and alone and lowers our sense of self-worth and confidence. By reaching out to others and gaining advice and support from trustworthy people such as loved ones, we can realize that we are not alone.
Talking to others about the things that are bringing you stress, worry, and anxiety is sometimes all it takes to turn around your feelings and grow mentally stronger. This allows you to release the worries that have been bottled up and listen to yourself talk about them. This allows you to see your worries in a different perspective and listen to the opinions of others.
The people you reach out to, whether it be family, friends, or even a counselor, can help you to find different ways to analyze the situation and provide advice that you would not have thought of on your own. Getting support from others and speaking up about how you feel is a great technique for letting go of your worries and gaining the confidence you need to advance towards your goals.
8| Focus on the Present
When we find ourselves caught up in worry, this is a form of anxiety that keeps us living for what will happen next and constantly looking at the future. Although this can be helpful in some occasions when creating long-term goals and planning for the future, it is important to not let it get in the way of your present life.
When you are present in the moment, you are able to let go of the things that are causing you stress and the never-ending “what-if” loops. You allow the mind to be focused on the here and now and let everything that will happen in the future flow naturally. Being present in the moment is a great way to increase your wellbeing and satisfaction with life and be less in your head.
Letting go of fears for the future allows you to appreciate and be grateful for everything going on in front of you. Meditating every day teaches you how to feel the present moment and let go of the endless thoughts in the mind keeping you from reaching your goals. Realizing that worrying for the future will not allow you to control it or change it is one of the most important ways to truly understand life and let things go.
9| Use Mantras
Mantras, or repetitions of phrases of your choice, is a great way to let go of worries and get in control of the mind. Worries will arise no matter how hard you try to let them go, but the way you react to and challenge them will make all of the difference. Determine which ones relate best to you and try them next time you feel worried or anxious about a situation.
When you feel these worry some thoughts arising, it is important to replace them with mantras that you can repeat in your mind in order to distract yourself and get out of the worry cycle. Mantras give you the confidence that you are in control of your mind and allow you to get through tough or anxious thoughts and calm yourself down.
Some examples of mantras for anxiety and worry include:
- “I am not alone in this”
- “This is just a temporary feeling”
- “This too shall pass”
- “I embrace my fears and use them as fuel”
- “These thoughts do not define me and will not get the best of me”
- “I am at peace with my fears and I stay in a state of calm”
10| Address Fears
When you know that something is causing you fear but you try to brush it to the back of the mind and forget about it, chances are it will return stronger than before. Getting to the bottom of your fears and analyzing what they are coming from is one of the most important ways to let them go and become more resilient.
Addressing your fears, understanding that you are not alone in them, and finding ways to overcome them is extremely important when taking control of your thoughts and emotions. When you recognize that many of your worries arise from underlying fears, you will understand where they are coming from which will help you to let them go.
Often times, our fears come from a place of past trauma or fearful experiences. We fear that these things will happen again, so we hold onto worries as a way to protect ourselves. However, this protection can be detrimental to our mental health and hold us back during significant turning points in our lives. Coming to terms with your fears and facing them can allow you to train the mind to let go of them and the worries associated with them.
11| Drink Water and Sleeping Properly
Although this may seem like an obvious piece of advice, staying hydrated and getting proper rest has significant impacts on your mental health and you brain function. When you take care of yourself and put your all into each day based on factors you can control, your mental wellbeing will improve drastically.
It is important to have a proper and stable sleep schedule in order to function to your highest potential throughout the day. When you are alert and attentive to details, you will notice when worries begin to arise and will have the mental energy to control them and let them go. You may notice that you are more anxious on days that you did not get a proper night of sleep, so it is important to prioritize this in your daily routine.
12| Positivity
Many times, our worries are a result of negative thinking and overanalyzing the worst possible scenarios or potential negative outcomes. When you focus on learning how to view situations from a more positive outlook, you can look at all of the good things that can happen as a result of taking a risk or stepping out of your comfort zone.
Being more positive about the things that you are worried about allows you to accept these thoughts rather than trying to reject them or forget about them. You can look at challenges with a sense of positivity and embrace all of the possible outcomes. When you are positive, you can understand that negative outcomes will only teach you and allow you to grow.
13| Determine Control
Worries are often about things that are out of your control and are a result of your surroundings. When you identify what is in your control and what you cannot change, you will be able to understand what is worth giving your mental energy to.
You can determine this by asking yourself whether or not thinking about it will improve the situation or if it will occur regardless of your thoughts. Most often your answer will tell you exactly what you need to know to let go of worries.
Determining what is in and out of your control provides you with the power to take control of your thoughts and your energy. This is extremely important when learning to get out of your mind and take the risks you have always wanted to before.
14| Trust Yourself
One of the most important parts of letting go of excessive worry is learning to trust and believe in yourself. When you trust that you are capable of going through whatever is stressing you out and you have confidence that you will make the right decisions when the time comes, you will be able to free your mind.
Confidence has a direct link with lower levels of anxiety and worry because you believe in yourself to act properly and will not get caught up in your head about potential future scenarios. This will allow you to direct your energy and thoughts to more productive things and make you happier and more satisfied with your life.
15| Cultivate Resilience
Being resilient means that you do not let adversity prevent you from reaching your goals and that you bounce back from setbacks stronger than before. When you are a resilient person, you understand that everything happens for a reason and that struggles are simply learning experiences. This is one of the best ways to increase your mental strength and face your fears like never before.
Being a resilient person allows you too step out of your comfort zone with confidence and trust in yourself. This will allow you to let go of future worries because you know that setbacks will only help you in the long run. Working on cultivating resilience will allow you to reprogram your mind and no longer hold yourself back due to worry.
16| Spend Time in Nature
Being in nature at least once a day gives you a fresh perspective and allows you to take a step back from all of the worries that follow you throughout your life. Nature has very calming and rejuvenating properties that can improve your mindset and reset the way you view a situation.
Nature allows you to release your worries because it allows you to realize that they are not as big of a deal as you make them out to be. Nature and spending time outdoors allow you to clear you mind and relax by stepping away from all of your fears. You will be able to feel more present in the moment and less anxious for the future. When you find yourself stuck in a negative loop, take a step outside and reset the mind.
17| Read
Reading can distract the mind and teach you new ways to approach different situations. Reading has been proven to have direct links with lowered levels of stress and anxiety which is very important for the mindset. When you read and focus the mind on an educational task, your cognitive functions will improve significantly, and you will be able to transform your mindset.
Try to read before bed in order to keep yourself accountable and add reading to your daily routine. Reading at night will also keep you from the worries that technology brings such as work emails and the stress that social media causes. When you are able to step back from these things, you will have a more practical mindset and will be able to fall asleep easier because your mind is at peace.
18| Balanced Diet
Maintaining a balanced diet not only impacts your physical health and appearance, but also has huge impacts on your cognitive function. When you eat foods filled with vitamins and nutrients, you will have more energy to put into each day and your levels of anxiety and other mental health issues will be reduced significantly.
Making a promise to yourself to eat healthier and find a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you will naturally feel better mentally and emotionally. A balanced diet that is rich in magnesium is one of the best ways to use your diet to lower anxiety. Magnesium is found in foods like spinach, legumes, nuts, and leafy greens. It is important to be mindful about your food consumption when trying to reduce worry and transform your mindset.
19| Listen to Music
Listening to calming music, especially the classical genre, can have significant impacts on depression, anxiety and stress. Classical music has been proven to make our brains calmer during times of stress and improve cognitive abilities. When you are focused on improving the way your mind works, you will be able to take control of it and use it to your advantage.
Music allows you to fill your mind with a distraction that will reduce the amount that your mind wanders to worry some thoughts. Utilize classical music when completing tasks that may bring you fear or anxiety in order to stabilize the mind and your emotions.
20| Hobby
Picking up a hobby can be extremely important for distracting the mind and letting go of anxiety. Hobbies are very beneficial for your mental health because they reduce depression and worry and allow you to take a step back from repeating negatives thoughts and fears.
Hobbies like writing, crafts, painting, gardening, and cooking can be very satisfying and calming. When you discover your hobbies, you will be able to take proper breaks from your work without allowing the mind to wander into useless and worry some thoughts that put you in the wrong direction.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the many strategies and techniques that can help you to let go of your worries and anxiety and improve your mental health. When you learn to be more present in the moment through activities like journaling and meditation, you will be able to notice life right in front of your rather than always looking to the future. This will reduce the amount that you try to control future situations and look at the worst possible scenarios and outcomes.
When you choose to take control of your mind and alter your perspectives, you will find that nearly every aspect of your life will improve. When you let life flow and only give energy to things that are in your control, you will feel happier and be very satisfied with your life as a whole.
Start by analyzing the roots of your fears and worries and look at potential past experiences that can be lingering into your future. This requires you to be very honest with yourself and reflect on things that may be negative, but it will be very rewarding for your mental health in the long-term. You will become more confident and trust in your capabilities when you spend time finding inner peace and reflecting within.
