I seem to be worrying a lot more than usual—about my job, the stock market, my career, my finances. I don’t think it’s serious enough to need counseling, but I wonder if there are some strategies I can use to put some of these thoughts in perspective.

—Helen M.

You’re not alone. And with the current economic and world political situation, there’s good reason to be concerned. The trick is to keep worry in the proper perspective. Several years ago I was concerned about my job, because business was falling off. I told my boss I was worried. He said, “ I don’t want you to worry. I think we have some good plans in place for new business and I’m confident we’ll continue to do well.” I felt great, and stopped worrying.

A month later, a co-worked came to my office and apologized that he had to be the one to tell me (the boss was conveniently out of town) that business was bad and there was no more work for me. I was shocked and felt betrayed. I started the job search right away and in a short time landed a new job. When my emotions settled, I realized what the boss had really said to me: “Bill, I don’t want you to worry.” He wasn’t actually promising me anything; he said not to worry. All he really did was tell me his own thoughts (although misleading) about the business.

That was a hard lesson for me, but I think a good one: worrying won’t do much good.

A better solution is to look at the issues; weigh the pros and cons, and do something about the situation. Now I use the fact that I’m worried about something to create some action steps to fix the problem. It seems to work better for me, because what I’m worried about is often outside of my control anyway. Try this; it works for me:

Write down exactly what you’re worried about. Then consider your anxiety from the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual aspects. Describe your symptoms and your feelings, such as restlessness/feeling “keyed up”; easily fatigued; difficulty concentrating; muscle tension; irritability; insomnia; panic. For an extra check the reality of your perceptions, ask others close to you what they’ve noticed.  Here are some things to look for:

Physical.

When we feel threatened, anxiety causes sweating, pounding heart, flushed face, tremors, shortness of breath, intestinal distress and other symptoms. Chronically anxious people tend to exhibit these and many other symptoms in many situations and often take a long time to return to normal functioning.

Intellectual.

Our thoughts influence our anxiety level. Distorted perceptions may cause increased anxiety, and may interfere with rational thinking. “Vicious circles” may occur when a threatening thought produces anxiety, which makes the threat seem worse, and produces still more anxiety.

Emotional.

Anxiety can be linked to the emotions of guilt, shame, grief and anger. These feelings and the behaviors that result can stop us from forming important interpersonal supports. This is a time when we need emotional support more than ever.

Social.

We can become disturbed by the remarks of others: we fear rejection, have low self-esteem, and are uncomfortable when we’re with groups of people.

Spiritual.

We may suffer from loss of faith, fear of death, loss of a loved one, guilt over a transgression of moral standards.

Now: Take Action.

Once you’ve identified the symptoms, and know what you’re worried about, force yourself to stop worrying and take some action:

Challenge irrational thoughts.

Does the boss really have it in for you? Is the business situation really hopeless? Do you really have no other options? Is there really no one you can turn to for advice and support? Probably none—or most—of these ideas is completely true.

Learn to relax physically.

Play sports; enjoy a hobby; listen to music; read a book; take time to relax—just for yourself.

Confronting the fears.

List them, ask if they’re real and, if they are, develop another set of action steps to confront them. The great motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, says fear is really an acronym meaning, False Evidence Appearing Real. Is your evidence real or false? If it’s real, you have another opportunity to define the problem and take some action.

Focusing on something else.

Once you’ve started taking action, deliberately and forcefully focus your thoughts on something else besides the worry: your loving family and friends; your feeling of self-worth and personal happiness; the good things about your boss, your friends and your company; your health.

Get support from friends and family.

Share your concerns with others close to you. They’ll probably be flattered that you want and respect their support and advice.

Obtaining treatment/medication when needed. If you think your situation could benefit from medical help, see your doctor. Many people c

ope with worry by using sports or work as an outlet. Some try to protect their sense of self-worth through defense mechanisms such as use of drugs or alcohol, withdrawing from social life, or denial of unpleasant realities. These don’t work very well, and usually make the problem much worse.

Finally, as you implement your action plan, say the Serenity Prayer often: “God grant me the serenity to accept the thing I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”