How To Stop Worrying: Learn to Shine Like a Diamond

If you feel frustrated (and maybe even defeated) because you can't stop worrying, you're not alone. The tens of millions of people with anxiety are worrying, too. Worry involves running what-ifs and worst case scenarios through your head day and night. It creates anxious agitation, physical side effects, and strong emotions. It's exhausting and can reduce your quality of life. The good news is that you can break out of the cycle of relentless worry. Try this quick reference tool to easily remember techniques to stop worrying. 

Use This Tool to Stop Worrying 

Worry can be challenging to break because once anxious thoughts take hold in your mind and you begin to worry about them, anxiety grows, worries increase, and almost all other thoughts are blocked. Because of this, it can be hard to remember the tools and principles you've learned to stop worrying. A quick and simple phrase and acronym can help you remember how to pull yourself out of your worries. 

First, remember what will happen when you stop worrying. You will shine like a diamond. When anxiety and worry are lifted from your life, your brilliance will shine through and you'll be light. "Shine like a diamond" leads to the tool: the acronym DIAMOND. 

Shine Like a DIAMOND to Stop Worrying

The DIAMOND technique doesn't involve a complex step-by-step process. Each letter can stand alone. Once you learn the acronym, you'll have seven independent tools to choose from when you want to stop worrying. 

Defuse -- Separate yourself from the worries. Just because you think them doesn't mean they're true, so remind yourself, "I'm having the thought that . . ."

Importance -- What is important to you? What are your life values? Shift your thoughts from the content of your worry to thoughts of what you value. 

Accept -- Many worries are about things out of our control. A lot of what we fret over we can't change. Ask yourself if your current worry fits into this category. If it does, begin to think about it differently by accepting that worrying won't give you control. Then, shift your attention to what you can control. 

Mindfulness -- Pull your attention away from your worries and into the real, tangible world around you. Use all of your senses to pull your mind into the moment. Describe to yourself what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Return your attention to the moment every time worries creep in ("Use Mindfulness for Anxiety: Here's How"). 

Openness to alternate possibilities -- Counter your anxious thoughts. When you catch yourself in the world of "what-ifs," counter them. "What if my husband has a heart attack and I'm left alone," becomes "What if my husband stays healthy and we take that trip we've planned for years?" Then, dream about the trip. 

Never give up -- Beating anxiety and worry takes patience and practice, but it is absolutely possible. Give yourself a chance. 

Define yourself -- You're not your worries. Who are you at your core? How do you shine like a diamond? Visualize your ideal self to shift your attention away from worrying. 

These tools can and do reduce anxiety and worry. Use DIAMOND to remember them and use those that work for you as you learn to stop worrying.