How to Stop Anxious Thoughts
Last updated October 14, 2021
The goal of this exercise is to stop anxious thoughts by becoming more aware of when we are worrying needlessly about those things we cannot influence.
When we watch the news regularly, we can easily start spiralling into anxious thoughts. Building awareness around this can prevent you from wasting the precious energy spent in attempting to control the uncontrollable. Instead, it will help you to invest in what is within your control.
Recognising that there is a difference between what you can influence and what you can control is important.
Let's take sleep as an example. By choosing not to drink caffeine just before bedtime, going to bed early and establishing a routine, you can influence the quality of sleep. But this does not control the quality of sleep. Sure, they might have an impact on quality but there are no guaranteed actions you can take to improve your quality of sleep. Anyone who has tried lots of things to improve the quality of their sleep yet still struggles with sleeplessness or interrupted sleep can attest to this.
Mind Hack:
Controlling anxiety
This mind hack will enable to work out what is in control and what you can influence.
Take a piece of paper and draw a table with four columns
Think about the root of your anxious thoughts: what you have been worrying about that is out of your control. What do you want to happen?
Write this in the first column.
Now, assess what you have written. Remember, it is what you want to happen. If you find your answer is more focused on what you don't want to happen, try thinking about the opposite of what that is. Frame this answer as a positive, it will empower you to identify what you can do.
In the second column, brainstorm ideas of the actions you can take to make this happen. Whatever you do, don't hold back! List out whatever it is that comes to mind, putting each action on a new line. When you have finally, truly, run out of ideas, then stop.
Next, you guessed it, go to the third column. Things are getting serious... Look back through the list of actions. Which actions do you have full control over? That is, which actions do not rely on other people or circumstances? List these in the column.
Column four. You've made it! This is for all the actions that are in some way, or completely outside of your control. In other words, everything else listed in column two.
Great, now you have identified what you DO want to happen
You’ve separated those things you can do from those things you cannot do because they are outside of your control.
Column three is where the action happens from now on. Make this list your focus. Organise what sequence you want to do the actions in and begin to tick them off.
Doing these actions will help you feel more in control, and more empowered.
As with all the mind hacks, this might feel silly or new to you... but approach this as you would a new skill. A fun way to remind yourself of this is to raise your thumb on your right hand now raise the index finger on your left hand to point at it. Now swap hands, raising the thumb on your left hand and the index finger on your right to point at it. Keep going, swapping the hands over.
Now swap again, it was easier that time right? It's the same with mind hacks. The more you practice, the easier it will be.
Happy mind hacking!
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