“Don’t worry be happy” is not just a song made famous by Bobby McFerrin. Your thoughts can try to make you worry and overthink. You have a better choice that helps you calm worry.
8 ways to get calm (and don’t worry be happy):
1. Don’t focus on what could happen, focus on what is.
When awake, your mind doesn’t naturally silence. When your mind gets ahead of itself or starts to attach a fantastical made up story line to your thoughts, that’s when you have a chance to take a pause, get present or distracted and busy. How does that old saying go?… “the past has already happened, the future hasn’t occurred, and all we have is now.”
If only we could stay focused on the present moment (not the past or future). If you’re multi-tasking, you can miss it and let worry settle in. Mindfulness brings your awareness back (and you’re doing just fine if you let go of the past and future uncertainty).
2. Lower your standards to worry less.
We all have an idea as to what life should be and how we should be. Our expectations create a set of worries and disappointments when we face a setback.
There is not a perfect human on this planet. Accept that progress is made through your getting things done. Who’s measuring perfection anyway? No one except the critic inside you, or a parent or school teacher’s voice that no longer serves you (or runs your life). Continue reading ““Don’t Worry Be Happy”: 8 Ways to Calm Worry in Your Life”