Worry less: 3 thoughts to keep in mind

If you find yourself worrying more lately, you're far from alone. Worry is common during times of stress.

Worry may cause you to:

• Think the worst (catastrophize).
• Overestimate the odds that something bad will happen to you.
• Underestimate how well you'll be able to cope with bad things if they happen.

The good news is that you can keep worry from running rampant.

If you find yourself in a cycle of worry, challenge your thoughts instead of accepting them as facts. Just by becoming aware of your thoughts, you can reframe them or look at them in a different way. Doing this can keep worrisome thoughts from getting bigger.

The next time a worry enters your mind, keep these 3 thoughts in mind:

• The most catastrophic outcomes are usually the least likely to happen.
• The least catastrophic outcomes tend to be the ones that happen most often.
• In general, worrying doesn't change whether or not your biggest fear will happen.

From there, especially if you worry a lot, try this exercise. First, write down 1 to 5 worries. Give yourself plenty of room to write about each worry.

Then for each worry, write out your answers to these questions:

• How can I look at this situation differently?
• How likely is it, really, that the worst will happen?
• What objective evidence do I have that supports this worry?
• What objective evidence do I have against this worry?
• How have I successfully coped with situations like this in the past?
• Will this matter in 5 years?

Everyone reacts differently to difficult situations, and it's normal to feel stress and worry during a crisis. However, by taking these steps, you can keep worry from spiraling out of control in your mind.