Doctors at the University of Arkansas say worry can help you respond to a problem. With anxiety, there is no exit, but healthy worry motivates you to come up with a solution. Here's how to do it:
* Ask yourself what the problem actually is and demand a specific answer.
* Turn off the doom-and-gloom mode and deal with the immediate problem or any part that is solvable now.
* Refine your expectations. If you don't get the outcome you prefer, know you can deal with whatever the outcome might be.
* End the worry session.
When you begin to work on a part of the problem, decide on a plan of action and know you can deal with it. You can stop worrying, at least for now.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.