Anxiety causes irreparable harm to your mental health. Some people think that this is just a bad habit that you can get rid of over time. Others believe that anxiety has a specific function, helping us learn from past mistakes and prepare for new ones. For better or worse, worry occupies our brains, forcing it to think about an uncertain future that we have no control over.
It is said that depression is associated with past events that we would like to change, and anxiety is associated with future events that we cannot control. Anxiety can also be explained as follows: you just think that you cannot influence the future in any way, although in fact you can take a number of measures that will prepare you for the event that worries you. In this article, we'll look at several ways to get your brain to stop worrying.
How to make your brain stop worrying
1. Write down the reason for the concern
This method is considered to be very effective. If your brain is preventing you from sleeping at night thinking about something, write your thought down on paper or electronically. After that, the brain will be able to breathe a sigh of relief: it will no longer have to waste energy trying to remember the details.
Fixation is a way of letting your brain know that you think something is important enough to write down. Your brain has already been warned that resources are better spent on solving this problem, and not on experiences and memories.
Why write? Scientists have found that very often people who experience chronic anxiety are those who chronically avoid problems. Researchers at Anxiety, Stress & Coping asked anxious people to describe three scenarios of a worrying situation. They then analyzed their responses for practical solutions. Scientists stated:
When the subjects' answers were checked for specificity, a relationship was found between the degree of anxiety and the level of specificity in the texts: the more the subject worried about the problem, the less specific details were in his answer. The results contradict the idea that anxiety can contribute to a deeper and faster analysis of the problem. Instead, anxiety leads to a cognitive avoidance response.
2. Meditate to Relieve Anxiety
Meditation can help teach your brain not to worry. Researchers in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine studied the effects of meditation and found it to be great for reducing cognitive anxiety or anxiety. Some people think they don't have time to meditate. But meditation is very simple. You can simply close your eyes and stay that way for 30 seconds or longer. The conscious decision to eliminate sources of stress is an active step towards an anxiety-free life.
Just a few moments, consciously spent without external stimuli, will allow you to focus on what is really important to you, both now and in the future. Disturbing thoughts can also arise during meditation. This is fine. Those who have learned to get rid of anxiety recommend feeling anxious thoughts, being aware of their appearance, and simply watching them dissipate like clouds on a clear day.
3. Exercise your body and mind to help you stop worrying
Anxiety is how your brain learns to survive by making a fight or flight decision. If you are attacked by a panther, you will instantly feel an adrenaline rush and fear - a reaction to danger. The same thing happens with your body when you are anxious, only the reaction is less pronounced and more slowly.
According to the same study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, exercise is beneficial for our bodies when we are stressed and anxious. If the body experiences fewer physical symptoms of stress, then the mind will think that it has no cause for anxiety, since the body is not overexcited.
Exercise gives the body another reason for the increased heart rate and sweating we experience when we are anxious. Exercise helps lower blood pressure, which is another physical symptom of anxiety. If you realize that you are worried, take a short walk, walk for 5-10 minutes in the fresh air. See the sights, listen to the sounds of nature, focusing on the movements of your limbs and breathing.
It is said that depression is associated with past events that we would like to change, and anxiety is associated with future events that we cannot control. Anxiety can also be explained as follows: you just think that you cannot influence the future in any way, although in fact you can take a number of measures that will prepare you for the event that worries you. In this article, we'll look at several ways to get your brain to stop worrying.
How to make your brain stop worrying
1. Write down the reason for the concern
This method is considered to be very effective. If your brain is preventing you from sleeping at night thinking about something, write your thought down on paper or electronically. After that, the brain will be able to breathe a sigh of relief: it will no longer have to waste energy trying to remember the details.
Fixation is a way of letting your brain know that you think something is important enough to write down. Your brain has already been warned that resources are better spent on solving this problem, and not on experiences and memories.
Why write? Scientists have found that very often people who experience chronic anxiety are those who chronically avoid problems. Researchers at Anxiety, Stress & Coping asked anxious people to describe three scenarios of a worrying situation. They then analyzed their responses for practical solutions. Scientists stated:
When the subjects' answers were checked for specificity, a relationship was found between the degree of anxiety and the level of specificity in the texts: the more the subject worried about the problem, the less specific details were in his answer. The results contradict the idea that anxiety can contribute to a deeper and faster analysis of the problem. Instead, anxiety leads to a cognitive avoidance response.
2. Meditate to Relieve Anxiety
Meditation can help teach your brain not to worry. Researchers in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine studied the effects of meditation and found it to be great for reducing cognitive anxiety or anxiety. Some people think they don't have time to meditate. But meditation is very simple. You can simply close your eyes and stay that way for 30 seconds or longer. The conscious decision to eliminate sources of stress is an active step towards an anxiety-free life.
Just a few moments, consciously spent without external stimuli, will allow you to focus on what is really important to you, both now and in the future. Disturbing thoughts can also arise during meditation. This is fine. Those who have learned to get rid of anxiety recommend feeling anxious thoughts, being aware of their appearance, and simply watching them dissipate like clouds on a clear day.
3. Exercise your body and mind to help you stop worrying
Anxiety is how your brain learns to survive by making a fight or flight decision. If you are attacked by a panther, you will instantly feel an adrenaline rush and fear - a reaction to danger. The same thing happens with your body when you are anxious, only the reaction is less pronounced and more slowly.
According to the same study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, exercise is beneficial for our bodies when we are stressed and anxious. If the body experiences fewer physical symptoms of stress, then the mind will think that it has no cause for anxiety, since the body is not overexcited.
Exercise gives the body another reason for the increased heart rate and sweating we experience when we are anxious. Exercise helps lower blood pressure, which is another physical symptom of anxiety. If you realize that you are worried, take a short walk, walk for 5-10 minutes in the fresh air. See the sights, listen to the sounds of nature, focusing on the movements of your limbs and breathing.
