Worry Break

Worrying is common amongst people. Some worry less, others so much that they allow their troubles to occupy most of their days. That's probably why in his book Who Will Cry When You Die, Robin Sharma suggested having a "Worry Break," which I initially thought to be a time when we pause and take our minds away from worrying and do other things.

It is actually the opposite.

Having a worry break means scheduling a fixed time (say 30 minutes every evening) to focus intensely on the things that bother us, wallow, brood over, and think about our difficulties.

"That's odd, why would one make time for her problems..." I mumbled while reading and then the answer came soon after.

Accordingly, setting a certain time and place for the things that trouble us allows us to consolidate all the day's worries and control the stress they cause. We may also plan or think about how to solve them during our worry break. But beyond such a period, we should leave our troubles behind and do something productive.

In having such a break, we don't get distracted or sucked down by them because we know they have their fixed time and place, hence, we can focus on whatever tasks we have at hand.

The author suggested further that if, during the day, something difficult pops up and starts to bother us or interfere with what we are doing, we should write it down in a notebook, which we can then bring to our next worry break.

Other readers say listing our problems makes them half-solved, and it's a great way to clear our thoughts of clutter that disturbs our minds most of the time.

Well, I find the suggested strategy interesting and while I don't worry much these days (maybe I have grown up, lol), I am keen on trying it out. The method may sound simple but must be challenging, especially if one feels the weight of the world rests on his shoulders.