Today is the day to… stop worrying

The source for this material is… 25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life, by Dr. Linda Elder & Dr. Richard Paul, Pearson, 2006; and the Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking, CA.

Do you worry about problems  “…rather than take action to solve them?  Do you obsess about problems that you can do nothing about?  While you are worrying, do you present a calm, unruffled exterior?” (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid)

WORRYWART DO YOU KNOW ANY WORRYWARTS? You can probably name several in your sphere of living… YOU PROBABLY OMMITTED YOUR NAME ON THAT LIST OF WORRYWARTS— SHOULD IT BE THERE? YOU PROBABLY OMMITTED YOUR NAME ON THAT LIST OF WORRYWARTS— SHOULD IT BE THERE?

Take Notice of Your Worrying  “Notice the negative emotions you experience when you worry.” (Ibid)  Notice when others…  worry  fail to act  waste energy in emoting about a problem(Ibid)

Our authors remind us… “Worrying never adds to the quality of your life, but it can certainly diminish its quality.” (Drs. Elder and Paul, Ibid)

“For every problem under the sun, there is a solution or there in none. If there be one, seek till you find it. If there be none, then never mind it.”

Your mind is failing you… “…to the extent that you worry, instead of actively looking for solutions.” First seek a solution –  open your mind to alternative possibilities  open your mind to alternative possibilities  open your mind… (Ibid)

…and, let it go  “…if  “…if there is nothing you can do in the situation;  …turn  …turn your mind to something productive.” (Ibid)

Rational persons …work to control excessive, unproductive worry and and …work to avoid the emotional pain and fruitlessness of obsessive worry See pp for more discussion by our authors on this topic.

“Worry is interest paid on trouble before it becomes due.” - W.R. Inge

Five+ Strategies  You will find five strategies, including several questions in the first of the five, that you can use for “relinquishing the worrying habit,” as our authors put it..  See pp in their book, (Ibid).

Today is the day to… STOP WORRYING

DAILY REFLECTION NOTES  Today I was successful in using the following ideas/strategies:  The key insights that emerged for me today were:  One problem in my thinking that I now realize is:  I plan to continue working on this problem using the following strategy: