Latest / Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing / #96| Why Do I Worry So Much? Easy Tips to Feel Less Overwhelmed
Transcript
- 0:04Speaker 1: You're listening to Overwhelmed Working Woman, the podcast that helps you be more calm and more productive by doing less.
- 0:12Speaker 1: I'm your host, Michelle Gothier, a former Overwhelmed Working Woman and current life coach.
- 0:16Speaker 1: On this show, we unpack the stress and pressure that today's working woman experiences and in each episode you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease and relaxation to your life.
- 0:28Speaker 1: Hello friend, Thanks for joining Quick Hit Thursday today.
- 0:37Speaker 1: So today I have a question that came from a listener which reminds me, to remind you that if you have a question that you want me to answer on a quick hit Thursday, at the bottom of the show notes there's a link that just says text us or send me a text.
- 0:53Speaker 1: I think is what it says Just send me your question and I will read it on here and give you the answer.
- 1:00Speaker 1: All right, so today, this question is my kids are older now, but I still can't stop worrying about them.
- 1:05Speaker 1: I worry about where they are, who they're with and if they're making good decisions.
- 1:10Speaker 1: The list goes on.
- 1:11Speaker 1: It feels like I'm always on edge.
- 1:14Speaker 1: How can I worry less?
- 1:15Speaker 1: Okay, so that's what we're going to address today.
- 1:20Speaker 1: First of all, the number one thing to say is don't sweat the fact that your brain is offering all of these worries.
- 1:28Speaker 1: Remember that the thoughts that pop into our head are out of our control, and so fighting against them or being mad that they're there is kind of a waste of your own time.
- 1:39Speaker 1: So something that I always like to think about is that when our brain gives us these worrisome thoughts, it's just making a desperate attempt to try to keep us safe.
- 1:48Speaker 1: So the first thing that I would suggest that you do is just know that it's completely normal to have worrisome thoughts, that that's just how we're wired, but also that you can see those thoughts.
- 2:01Speaker 1: So think about reading them as they come across like a teleprompter.
- 2:05Speaker 1: Or think about them like the message is floating on a cloud in the sky and the clouds just blowing by, Something like that, where you're not attached to the thought.
- 2:15Speaker 1: So watch that worrisome thought, but don't get attached to it.
- 2:20Speaker 1: So if you are able to do that, recognize that you're having a worrisome thought and just say okay, thank you, brain.
- 2:26Speaker 1: I appreciate the heads up and the warning.
- 2:29Speaker 1: I think that we are okay in this moment.
- 2:32Speaker 1: That is the first thing that I would tell you to do.
- 2:35Speaker 1: Then, normally, when I'm worrying about my kids, there's something specific that's going on, but I just was talking about this on Instagram the other day too.
- 2:43Speaker 1: The example that I gave is if my daughter fails a test today and I find out that she failed a test today, if I get into worrisome thoughts, I can worry that all the way to what that's going to mean when she's 25 years old Like she doesn't try hard, she's not understanding what's going on at school, she doesn't understand how to do this, she's never going to go to college.
- 3:09Speaker 1: If she does go to college, she's going to fail out.
- 3:11Speaker 1: What kind of job is she going to get?
- 3:13Speaker 1: If that happens?
- 3:13Speaker 1: I can just worry it all the way through.
- 3:16Speaker 1: And when I posted this on Instagram, somebody else said oh yes, I can worry my kids right to like addicted to drugs and living on the street, and you know a few quick shifts of the mind.
- 3:27Speaker 1: So the other tip that I have is to bring it into today.
- 3:32Speaker 1: So the problem today in that example is my daughter failed a test.
- 3:36Speaker 1: Let's address that one actual, existing problem instead of worrying for the next 10 years about what might happen.
- 3:45Speaker 1: And then, even within that, even within today, think about what's in your control.
- 3:50Speaker 1: So I can't control if the teacher didn't give her a good study guide.
- 3:55Speaker 1: I can't control.
- 3:56Speaker 1: A lot of things are out of my control on that.
- 3:58Speaker 1: Frankly, if she didn't want to study, she could sit in a room and pretend to study, but I can't like make her study.
- 4:04Speaker 1: So what is in my control is the kinds of questions I ask her, how I offer to help her for next time, how I teach her about how to study if she's open to that kind of thing.
- 4:17Speaker 1: Those are the kinds of things that are in my control.
- 4:20Speaker 1: So if you find yourself having worrisome thoughts, just a reminder of what I just said notice the thoughts, but don't get attached to them.
- 4:28Speaker 1: Bring it into today.
- 4:30Speaker 1: What is the actual problem that's happening right now, today, and not all the millions of implications that might have.
- 4:35Speaker 1: And then what's in your control and start taking steps on some of those.
- 4:40Speaker 1: So that's my quick answer on Quick Hit Thursday.
- 4:43Speaker 1: If you haven't already register for the 2025 your Best Year class, it's such a fun workshop because at the beginning you come in and you're not sure what you want to do for 2025.
- 4:56Speaker 1: Maybe you have some ideas about your goals, but I talk all about how to make the goals, how to word them, how to schedule them, how to execute on them, so that by the end, you can have a really solid plan.
- 5:07Speaker 1: So join, it's only $25, and the link is in the show notes.
- 5:11Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast.
- 5:21Speaker 1: If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at michellegothiercom.
- 5:27Speaker 1: See you next week.