The Worry Vacation – Don’t Fix Anything, Just For A Day

I have a challenge for you.  Take it up now for the rest of the day, or maybe start fresh tomorrow.

So what do I suggest you try?

The Worry Vacation

Don’t worry about any problems for a day.  Specifically, don’t think about them.  Most of us spend ten times more mental energy vaguely worrying about something than actually concretely addressing the concern and coming up with action steps (or deciding just to let it go for a while).  We need to stop doing this.  The first order of business is to break the worry habit.

But how?  It’s pretty simple.  Decide to go an entire day without entertaining in your mind any of your worries or concerns.  Each time they crop in, don’t fight them; just say, “hello,” acknowledge them with a “thanks,” and move your mind to something positive or practical for the moment.

I think you will find this exercise quite energizing and fun.  It’s like you take a vacation from your own mind, from constant worrying about your challenges and problems.  You can still be productive, but let go of worrying about any short or long-term problems for the day.

Stop Strangling Your Mind, See What Happens

You may find that you have made a habit of persistent worry and that this is draining you.  The worry vacation is a great initial step towards changing this state of mind because it is much more realistic than saying, “just stop worrying so much” in general.  It’s a baby step, and it’s achievable.

Taking a worry vacation gives your conscious mind a rest, allowing other aspects of your being and the universe to work on your problem while you take a break.  How many times have you gnawed away at a problem to no avail–only to then have a solution pop up during the shower or when you wake up in the middle of the night?  That’s this dynamic at work when you take a break.  So don’t strangle your mind, and see what happens!

To be clear, I’m not saying don’t put your attention on your problems.  What I am saying is don’t constantly and half-consciously worry about your problems.  In a future post, we’ll have additional suggestions on how to structure addressing the real challenges in your life.  But for now.  Take a worry vacation.  Refresh your mind.  And see what happens.