Everyone worries sometimes. These worries can happen when facing difficulties or when things are changing and uncertain. You might worry about work, relationships, the future, or world events. These thoughts can make you feel uneasy, nervous, or anxious.

“Worry is a natural response to uncertain situations and may even be productive when focused on solving problems that you can act on and have influence over,” says Kelcey Stratton, chief behavioral health strategist in UHR. “However, worries more often take the form of ‘what-if’ thoughts or worst-case scenarios, which can result in feeling stressed and unhappy. Worry becomes unhelpful when you have little control over the outcome of your concern and the worry is harming your mood, sleep, health, or relationships. Fortunately, there are many strategies to help you recognize and better manage worries.” 

Six Tips to Quiet Concerns and Feel Less Stress

Here are some research-based strategies to better understand and handle worry. These methods take practice, and over time, they can help you feel less stressed. If you're feeling very worried or are concerned about your mood, talk to someone you trust, like a family member, friend, or mental health professional.

1. Recognize and Acknowledge

The first step in managing worry thoughts is to recognize them. When a worry thought appears, try to acknowledge it without judgment. Instead of trying to push it away or engaging in more worrying, take a moment to pause and understand what it is, why it might be bothering you, and what might have happened to trigger the thought. Simply acknowledging the thought in this way can often reduce its intensity.

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts

Once you’ve recognized a worry thought, you can try to challenge its validity. Ask yourself if there’s evidence supporting the thought or if it’s based on assumptions. Often, worry thoughts are exaggerated or focused on limited information. Consider asking yourself: “What is the evidence for this thought–and what is the evidence that this thought is not completely accurate? What else might be true? What could I do to cope or handle the situation if it did happen?” By questioning the thoughts with curiosity and kind interest, you might find that the concern is less extreme or powerful than you originally thought. 

This online, self-guided resource provides cognitive behavioral interventions that can help you challenge negative thoughts and manage worry and stress.

3. Focus on What You Can Control

Worry often comes from thinking about things that could happen or things we can't change. Try to focus on what you can control. For instance, imagine that you are worried about an upcoming work presentation. You may not be able to control how others respond (nor for everything that might occur during the meeting), but you can control what you can do to best prepare, such as practicing the presentation material.

Additionally, you can remind yourself of times when you successfully coped with unexpected events or difficulties in the past. Remembering your strengths and supports can be helpful for quieting worries and refocusing on what is possible and within your influence.

4. Set Boundaries Around Worry

Another recommended strategy is to designate a specific time each day to think about your worries. Having a set "worry time" allows you to acknowledge your concerns without letting them take over your day. For example, you might decide to spend ten minutes in the evening going over your worries. If you start to worry during the day, you can remind yourself that you'll journal or think about it later. Once the worry time is up, try to shift your attention back to enjoyable activities.

During the designated worry time, it may be helpful to write down your concerns in a journal. Putting your thoughts on paper can help you understand them better and create a bit of mental distance from them. Sometimes, when you see what you're worried about written down, it doesn't seem quite as big. You might also start to notice patterns or habits in your worries, and then invite some curious exploration of those thoughts and how to better address them.

5. Take Breaks from Technology

News and social media can often make us worry more. It's okay to take breaks from screens. Spend time in nature, connect with other people, or do something you enjoy that doesn't involve technology. Find the balance of staying informed about current events while also recognizing when to set limits around your time and energy. You might consider checking news once a day, for example, or limiting social media time to 15 minutes per day. This brief animated video from the Greater Good Science Center offers a suggestion for turning your attention toward positive or neutral experiences as a strategy to clear your mind and reduce negative thoughts.

6. Practice Relaxation Techniques

Deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness practices can help reduce the intensity of worry thoughts and decrease the physical tension and stress that often accompanies worry. These practices encourage relaxation and bringing your focus back to the present. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a few minutes to breathe deeply, focusing on each inhale and exhale. This can calm your mind and body. Progressive muscle relaxation practices can be particularly helpful for reducing mental and physical stress, and can even be useful for falling or staying asleep (for times when worry thoughts disrupt sleep).

Remember, it's normal to feel worried sometimes, and you're not alone. A variety of strategies can be used to address worries, and you can try out different techniques to discover which ones work best for you. If you’re interested in learning more about coping with worry and anxiety, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies has developed this fact sheet. You can also explore these stress management tools and resources.

MHealthy offers additional resources to decrease stress and support your well-being, including a library of free physical activity videos, and sleep resources. 

Need More Support? We’re Here for You

If you’d like to learn more about mental health services or are interested in support, counselors are available at no charge to you for confidential services. If you work on an academic campus, reach out to the Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO) at 734-936-8660 or via email at [email protected]. If you work at Michigan Medicine, reach out to the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience (OCWR) by calling 734-763-5409 or sending an email to [email protected].