Hello Readers! This week, I’m worried.

I’m worried about the new website that I’m having designed, I’m worrying about taking a break from client work this summer, I’m worrying about my son Max at bike camp, and I’m worrying about what’s for dinner.

Some weeks, it seems like worries just keep popping up like the animated headers I’m trying out on website pages. They appear when I’m working out at the gym, reading to my kids, and washing dishes.

Does this happen to you, too?

Rationally, I know that worrying doesn’t make things easier, or more beautiful, or problem free. Yet, I somehow picked up the notion that if I forget to worry about something important then something bad will happen.

As odd as it sounds, worrying can sometimes make me feel more in control, even though it’s caused by feeling out of control. The logic goes like this: if I worry enough, then I will think of all the negative possibilities before they happen and then I can prevent them from happening. But this approach isn’t working for me!

So, my task this week is to come up with a better routine to deal with my worries and change my mindset.

Do you remember those Guatamalan Worry dolls that were popular in the 90’s? You tell each tiny doll a worry and put it under your pillow. When you wake up, those worries are supposed to be gone. I think this works because this action forces us to pinpoint our worries and then let them go. So that’s step 1:

Pinpoint Your Worries with a Brain Dump:

I find that it really helps me to write down all my worries without editing them. Often what comes up surprises me. This also prevents me from dumping my worries on my husband, and friends—always appreciated.

Check Your Logic:

Are there any worries that are illogical? If so, maybe you could just let them go. Cross them off your page. Sometimes that very act is freeing. Check! I’m all done worrying about that.

Prioritize Them:

Of the worries that are left, which are the most pressing? Why spend time worrying about things that don’t really matter right now? Cross those off too.

Pray:

I don’t often talk about my faith on my blog, but I am a Christian and I believe in the power of prayer. When I look at my list of pressing worries, the thing that most helps is to pray about them.

Listen:

When I was first starting my business, I would worry about whether or not I was on the right track. I still do! I pray about this all the time, and I started noticing hearts when I was most worried. To me, it was like God speaking to me, and telling me I was on the right track.

Shower:

If I still feel worried and just need to change my headspace in the moment, I take a shower. There’s something that happens to my brain in the shower that resets it. It’s even better if I tell myself that when I step out of the shower I will be renewed and refreshed. The power of that affirmation goes a long way.

Take Action:

Sometimes taking small action is just what I need to stave off my worries, especially when they are about procrastination or perfection. What small thing could you do to begin? Can you do it with a mindset of curiosity rather than criticism? If so, go for it!

Let go:

This week, I’m going to do all the things I listed above, but I’m also going to let go and have faith. The world will go on, and so will I. So, too, will you.

With Heart,
Lauren