In order to stop running away from the feeling of helplessness, we have to train ourselves to be okay with feeling helpless and out of control.

Worry is an attempt to mentally problem-solve something that either isn’t really a problem or isn’t a problem that’s solvable.

... is an attempt to mentally problem-solve something that either isn’t really a problem or isn’t a problem that’s solvable.

Worry is our attempt to out-run helplessness. But to stop worrying so much, there’s really only one way out: Acceptance.

Worry briefly feels good, especially compared to the alternative—doing nothing and just feeling afraid. Worry feels good because it gives us something (rather than nothing) to do. And this makes us feel a little less helpless and out of control.

1. Worry feels good because it gives us something (rather than nothing) to do. And this makes us feel a little less helpless and out of control.
2. Like the body craves calories, the mind craves control. When faced with a fearful situation that we can’t actually do anything a...

Just like the body craves calories, the mind craves control. In fact, we can fool our minds into thinking we’re actually solving a problem by running it over and over and over again in our minds. And to make things worse, like junk food, worry also happens to be constantly available, di...

When you find yourself worrying, try to identify the cause or trigger for the worry and notice how it makes you feel emotionally. Just feel those emotions and notice them without thinking about them. Stay in the present instead of jumping into the future.