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Qatana Samanen, Ph.D.

"The articles and audios you find here can help you achieve your goals. Why not use them to make your good life better?"

ARTICLE ARCHIVES

3 Things You Can Do With the Energy You Spend Worrying

By Qatana Samanen, Ph.D.

Worry about possible negative outcomes undermines you as few other things can. There is no problem in the world that has ever been made better through worry. There is no disaster that has ever been averted because someone worried about it.

Focusing on potential negative outcomes distracts you from the present and disempowers you. The anxiety you create prevents you from thinking clearly. Paying attention to the negative makes it difficult to remember or access your very real strengths and abilities.

Worry's saner cousins, carefulness and conscientiousness, serve the important purpose of ensuring you have done everything possible to create a safe and positive outcome. That is helpful. Worry is never helpful.

Worry is Energy

When you give energy to whatever it is you fear, it appears larger and more significant than it really is. Like those two-story balloons you see in the Thanksgiving Day parades, your fears take on enormous proportions. They seem to tower above you. The truth is that they are only filled with air! When you reclaim the energy of your attention, your fears collapse to the ground and lay in a crumpled heap at your feet.

Think of the times when you have been stuck in worry. You put all kinds of energy into imagining negative outcomes and the disastrous consequences those outcomes could create. The more anxious you became, the more energy was drawn into the vortex of worry, increasing its intensity and its power.

Think of the times you've procrastinated. Look at the time and energy you put into unnecessary activities, like emptying the dishwasher or doing the crossword puzzle. Remember the growing feeling of apprehension as the deadline for completion approached.

The energy that fuels worry is entirely neutral. You can direct that same energy into positive channels once you commit yourself to do so.

Three Ways to Channel Energy in Positive Directions

It's easier to redirect your energy if you have something specific to focus on. Here are three ways you can channel your worry energy so you can use it to achieve your goals.

1. Plan

   Often worry results from feeling overwhelmed. There are too many things to do and too little time to do them. The options spin around in your head so fast that any one item can feel like two or twelve.

   Pause, step back, take stock, make a list and identify what needs to be done and when. Prioritize. You can take your planning further and identify others who might help you with one or another part of your project.

   Gaining perspective in this way is incredibly empowering. It slows things down and provides direction. It clarifies just what steps you need to take, which ones you need to do first and when you can do them. You enable yourself to move ahead with clarity and focus.

2. Just Do It

   Sometimes what is needed is simply to act. It may matter less what you do than that you simply do something that moves you forward toward your goal. Once your energy gets directed toward addressing the challenge, it will continue to flow in that direction. Accomplishing even a small step can encourage you to take the next step and then the next. Before you know it, a momentum will develop and you will be well on your way toward achieving your goal.

   Think of the times you procrastinated. Sooner or later you actually got going and accomplished the task. It may as well be sooner than later.

3. Visualize Success

   You can create a positive expectation by visualizing success in the challenge you are facing. Consciously replace the disastrous outcomes you fear with images of success.

   In a state of deep relaxation you can imagine a positive outcome for the situation you are dealing with. Pay careful attention to everything you do that contributes to your success. Notice how that success feels to you.

   This is a technique that successful athletes use to achieve peak performance. It will help you to succeed, too.

Your energy is vast. The more aligned it is, the easier it is to achieve your goals. Worry energy messes up that alignment, so redirect it in positive ways and you are sure to make your good life better.