{"id":12711,"date":"2020-07-28T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T10:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=12711"},"modified":"2020-07-18T08:39:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-18T12:39:41","slug":"3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Worry-that thing we are not supposed to do but find ourselves fighting it. If you are someone who wants to make sure everything is OK, you may be prone to constant worry. And during this time of pandemic, it’s easy to worry about so many things we can’t control. But you can control your thoughts and do a few things to tackle worry.<\/p>\n

First, pay attention to the number of times you say, “What if…”<\/strong> Those two words are the beginning of a worried thought. Instead of thinking, what if something goes wrong, change it to, what if something goes right. I am not asking you to ignore reality. Rather shift your focus away from all the negative scenarios that prompt worry. Or change your “What if…” to “How can…” When you shift focus on problem solving, worry dissipates.<\/p>\n

Second, we have hopefully learned through this pandemic that uncertainty is a part of life. We have to get comfortable with not always being in control. Unexpected things happen. They aren’t always good but that is part of life. So if you want to curtail worry,\u00a0accept uncertainty<\/strong>. Worry is not helpful. It does no good for your physical body either. Thus, letting go of worry requires a mind shift from fear of uncertainty to embracing the lack of control over many things. But remember, God is in control. There is a higher power looking out for you. Focus on that thought and remember God knows what will happen in the world and in your life. Meditate on that. Give your worries to Him and trust He will work all things for your good.<\/p>\n

Next, don’t try to suppress those worried thoughts<\/strong>. Let them come and then let them go. The more you try to push the thoughts away, the more they come back. Think of those thoughts like an ocean wave–they roll in and then roll out. Stay in the moment. Ground your thoughts in the present-what is happening right now? \u00a0Then distract yourself and \u00a0refocus on something positive.<\/p>\n

Letting go of worried thoughts takes intention but is doable. Practice one thought at a time and see the difference it makes.<\/p>\n

For more help with worried thoughts, Letting Go of Worry<\/a> by Dr. Linda Mintle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Worry-that thing we are not supposed to do but find ourselves fighting it. If you are someone who wants to make sure everything is OK, you may be prone to constant worry. And during this time of pandemic, it’s easy to worry about so many things we can’t control. But you can control your thoughts…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4099],"tags":[135,593,2494,134],"class_list":["post-12711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stress","tag-anxiety","tag-letting-go-of-worry","tag-worried-thoughts","tag-worry"],"yoast_head":"\n3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Worry-that thing we are not supposed to do but find ourselves fighting it. If you are someone who wants to make sure everything is OK, you may be prone to constant worry. And during this time of pandemic, it’s easy to worry about so many things we can’t control. But you can control your thoughts…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-28T10:00:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-18T12:39:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/04\/sad-2182545_1920-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts","og_description":"Worry-that thing we are not supposed to do but find ourselves fighting it. If you are someone who wants to make sure everything is OK, you may be prone to constant worry. And during this time of pandemic, it’s easy to worry about so many things we can’t control. But you can control your thoughts…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html","og_site_name":"Doing Life Together","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","article_published_time":"2020-07-28T10:00:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-18T12:39:41+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/04\/sad-2182545_1920-300x200.jpg"}],"author":"Linda Mintle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@drlindamintle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html","name":"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/04\/sad-2182545_1920-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2020-07-28T10:00:04+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-18T12:39:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/04\/sad-2182545_1920-300x200.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/04\/sad-2182545_1920-300x200.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/07\/3-ways-to-control-worried-thoughts.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3 Ways to Control Worried Thoughts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/","name":"Doing Life Together","description":"Relationship Doctor, Mental Health, Emotional Wellness, Relationship Advice & Entertainment","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142","name":"Linda Mintle","description":"It is rare that a trained academic who speaks passionately to the heart of people providing real answers to real life problems is so relatable. Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12711"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12720,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12711\/revisions\/12720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}