Are You Overwhelmed By Constant Worry?
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It is entirely normal for us all to worry from time to time; from the general stresses of day to day life to facing the current challenges of an anxiety-inducing global pandemic
What happens when you find yourself trapped in a never-ending thought cycle consisting of health-related concerns, homeschooling stresses, financial burdens or the possibility of job instability, to name but a few problems? It’s possible you’re feeling overwhelmed by constant worry, and want to understand how to mitigate this negative effect on your body, mind and sleep patterns. Is there anything you can do help yourself and feel more in control of your life?
We all have different tolerances towards worry, and it can be challenging to know whether this has migrated from your baseline levels of worry into a constant torrent of all-pervasive thoughts. Our sleep habits can often be the first sign that we need to make some changes.
It can quickly feel like an endless cycle when you lay awake at night, unable to slow the cognitive cogs, or when you wake up in the early hours of the morning, tired, but unable to sleep and the inevitable questioning of yourself begins. It seems so easy to feel haunted by your mind and spend hours over analysing the previous day or being anxious about work tasks or home situations that lay ahead.
It’s easy for our worry to feel even more unmanageable when we’re exhausted both physically and mentally. The amount of sleep each of us requires varies hugely and can be different at different stages of life. The consensus from the University of California, Berkeley is that ‘whatever [quantity] makes you feel refreshed and alert is considered adequate.’
Worrying can manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Some of us may find ourselves tormented by insomnia, unrefreshing sleep and broken nights. Others may be oversleeping, seeking escapism in slumber and avoiding the situations causing the worry. Prolonged stress as a result of the worry increase levels of Cortisol, our primary stress hormone. We may find ourselves unable to sleep, which can impair the confidence in our abilities to cope, and thus exacerbates our feelings of worry, in what feels like a never-ending cycle.
Below are some hints and tips to help overcome worry and hopefully help you to carve out some time for yourself. There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling lethargic from our daily lives, only to be confronted by thoughts racing through our heads at the point in time when we most crave rest.
Establish a sleep routine
It can be beneficial to find a routine that works for you. Aiming to rise at the same time every day (yes, that does include the weekends), or having an established bedtime routine can help. By regulating the time you go to bed, your circadian rhythm (your natural body clock) is less affected. It can be helpful to implement some of the following as part of finding a routine that works for you:
Ideally, avoid too much technology and screen time at least an hour before bed. Alleviating too much mental stimulation can help introduce an element of calm.
Having a hot bath with some fragrant lavender scents helps to relax the body and mind.
There are many pillow ‘sleep sprays’ available, or a few drops of aromatherapy oil may be beneficial. Essential oils may not appeal to everyone, and please be aware they are not always recommended for use when pregnant.
Meditation
Meditation through the form of mindfulness with breathing can be an accessible way to take your mind off worry. A few deep inhalations and exhalations (in through the nose and out through the mouth) can help, focusing on the breath entering and leaving the body.
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to meditate as our minds become overly occupied with thoughts, but focusing on the count of your breath can help. Breathe in for six seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for another six then wait for two seconds before repeating.
There are lots of useful aids to support your meditation, including Alexa voice-activated skills; apps including Headspace and Calm; and live streaming services that can introduce you to a range of meditations.
Writing
Putting pen to paper can be a useful tool in helping to empty the mind. It can be cathartic to write a list and know that all your worries are captured and waiting in a notepad ready to be revisited when you’re perhaps feeling a bit more rested and prepared to deal with whatever is preoccupying you.
It’s a personal preference as to whether you find it more beneficial to write in the evening or the morning. Many people find it helpful to follow Julia Cameron‘s methodology in ‘The Artist’s Way’ which recommends writing three pages of long-form writing every morning. It can be hugely beneficial to physically write down everything that is on your mind before the day begins.
Everybody has their own approach to help them address their worrying thoughts, and what works for one person may not be as useful for yourself. Trying different strategies and techniques can open up your hobbies and interests to previously unexplored solutions such as yoga and meditation. You may even instil new lifelong habits and practices.
Now take a read of this article HERE about why humans worry.
