Ask a therapist > Stress > How can I get my life back?

How can I get my life back?

I'm so worried about anything bad that could possibly happen that it's taken over my life. My physical and mental health has gotten way worse starting in 2022 and I feel like a totally different person. I never feel good anymore and I'm always worried about something bad happening, like me getting sick or someone getting hurt. I've been a lot more unmotivated and depressed as well and it's affecting my personal and work lives. I just want to feel better and I've tried everything. I've never had any mental or physical issues and this is all new for me, please help. :(
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Asked by Liz
Stress
Answered
05/14/2022

Hello, 

You are in a very good position to look at your worries as tools to catapult you to meet your goals and aspirations, to live. Every time you have a worry about something, there is an opportunity to use it to your benefit. Worry can be a healthy way of helping us to find solutions to real crisis' and problems in our lives. However, chronic worrying can be something more serious. You can begin to manage life by learning strategies that can assist you in living, not worrying. Find a therapist who will be able to help you build strategies that you can apply to your life organically. It will be helpful to find someone who has expertise in eating disorders.

For now, begin to use your journal to write down every worry that you have in any given day. For each worry/concern, do the following: 

  1. Match each worry with a practice of gratitude
  2. Identify one action that you can take to resolve that concern and if needed, and take that action within 48 hours. 

 

Here are some simple strategies that can help you manage your worry:

  1. Mindfulness (download a mindfulness app that you can use to help you can use 10-20 minutes per day). Sitting in a quiet space to clear your mind of misplaced negativity can do wonders for your health. The goal of mindfulness is to take your focus away from negativity and inspire a calm state of mind. 
  2. Share your fears with people that love you. The people that we love can give us perspective that we don't think about. Talking to supportive friends and family may offer a different perspective. 
  3. Practice self-compassion and give yourself credit for small steps. 
  4. Keep an emotion journal. The practice of journaling your emotions and sharing your thoughts can be used to patterns of when you start to worry. Focusing on what you can control will help you to redefine what is within your reach to change...and what is outside of your reach. 
  5. Focus on what you can control.

 

A dedicated therapist can help you to tie all of these elements together to support the success of your goals. 

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