How the One Track Mind Defeats Worry

*Please note that the ideas in this article come from Dale Carnegie's How to Stop Worry and Start Living.*

I want you to take a moment and try to think about two things at the same time: Your prom and your birthday gift for mom this year. Seriously, try it for 5 seconds.

You probably found that you could switch back and forth rapidly between the prom and gift. However, you could never actually concentrate on both at the same time. If you could think both simultaneously, you need to go see a doctor and become the next medical marvel.

Why is this a big deal? Here's an example why:

Imagine you have the big exam tomorrow. You have studied weeks for this, and right now you are worried, wondering if there was a topic that you didn't fully cover. You really can't relax, much less get any more studying done. At this point, you would give anything for tomorrow to be over.

However, when you sit for the exam, you're alive with energy. The exam flies by, and its over. You get a good score and walk off smiling.

Here's the thing: During the exam, you did not worry. You were working hard trying to kick out those questions. It is almost as if you were too busy to worry. You did not worry because you didn't want to worry, it was because you couldn't worry.

The bottom line is that you can occupy your thoughts with another task so that you never are able to worry. Before the exam, don't pace back and forth in your room. Instead, get out and get involved in something that requires your full attention. Finishing the overdue report for the boss would be a good start.

This idea of using business to combat worry is called occupational therapy, and has been used to treat soldiers with PSTD, ulcer-prone patients, and day-traders on the verge of heart attacks.

Everything I have explained here comes from Dale Carnegie's How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. If you want further worry techniques, I would highly recommend this book as it has significantly helped me.

After reading this, you may start to realize that your worry normally starts when you are not fully engaged in something. Folding laundry, cleaning the room, or driving to work are prime times for worry because your mind is free to wander and think. You have the brain capacity for worry during these times.

Now, you have a tool to fight these situations. Put on a podcast while you're doing your cleaning. Talk to your loved one over the phone while you're folding laundry. You'll get things done and help maintain a stress-free living.

© Nicholas Shah and Learning More Than Living, 2013. Please note that the material included this was not written by a licensed medical professional. Therefore, please consult your physician before trying anything suggested in this article. Please also note that the majority of the ideas written in this article should be attributed to Dale Carnegie and his book How to Stop Worry and Start Living. Nicholas Shah does not claim ownership to the ideas put forth here. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas Shah and Learning More Than Living with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Thank You.