Worrying Won’t Help, Do This Instead
Three simple action steps to help you overcome worry and start doing.
I finally utter the words out loud to one of my most trusted confidants, Kat. I tell her all my crazy plans and ideas regarding a life change that is about to happen (sorry, can’t tell you yet! Stay tuned for that post). She supports and encourages me like no other. I can tell her my most insane ideas and I don’t feel like they’re crazy. They are simply the planning part of me pursuing something that lights me up. I feed off of the energy she’s sharing with me.
We hang up and I start walking home. Immediately Helga starts stirring up a storm (Helga is my Gremlin, i.e. anxious thoughts). “OMG! Are you batshit crazy Steph?! You have it so good! What if you get depressed and fail miserably? Everyone is going to judge you so hard!!”
If you haven’t realized this yet, I’m a worry wart. Scratch that. I’m the freaking President (with a capital P!) of the “Extreme Worry Club.” It’s a title I’ve often carried with pride. Weird, I know. Because if I’m worrying, at least I’m doing something…right?
It shows how much I care and how much of a perfectionist I am! Yay me! Gold medal for effort!
All of that is to say, if you’re anything like me, worrying can feel productive. But it’s not. It really, really, really isn’t. Strategizing, taking action, and then reassessing is productive.
So, I walked back home and was getting an earful from Helga, I paused. I let go of worrying as a productivity tool (’cause we’ve already decided that’s bullshit) and implemented these 3 steps instead:
- Pause and breathe (big breaths out). As you’re breathing, feel your feet on the floor, and give attention to the details around you,
- Ask yourself questions that brings you back to your truth. Here are a couple of my favorites: “What would I do if I was not afraid?” and “If I had the answer, what would it be?”
- Take action. Whether that is committing, going on a walk, or having a conversation with someone.
My friends, when you catch yourself worrying and giving too much time, space, and energy to your own gremlin, I hope you give the above steps a shot. Most of all, I hope you take action.
As JK (John Kim, not just kidding) always says, “Awareness is only half of the equation, the other half is execution.”
Take action like you love yourself.
Heard about our Catalyst Coaching Intensive? It will help you take action like you love yourself. In fact, it will help you really love yourself. Are you in?
Book a session with Stephanie. She can help you tame your inner gremlin.
