The Worrywart’s Companion-21 Ways to Soothe Yourself and Worry Smart with Dr.Beverly Potter

The job of worry is to anticipate possible perils, to come up with ways to deal with them, and to rehearse what you will do if the danger does arise. The dilemma is that once you start to worry about your shrinking 401K or if you’ll have a job next month, worry begets more worry, setting into motion a vicious cycle of frightening thoughts and anxious responses—worrywarting—out of control worrying.

Worrywarts get stuck in identifying danger as they immerse themselves in the dread associated with the threat, spinning out an endless loop of scary situations, paralyzing themselves by blowing everything out of proportion. Don’t try to stop worrying, advises Dr. Beverly Potter, author of , (McGraw Hill, September 2008). Worry itself, is not good or bad, she says. Everyone worries. Worrying is a survival skill because it helps us to identify and prepare for dangers. The problem is that once started, worrying is difficult to control. The solution is to become a “smart worrier”. Smart worriers do the work of worry, then knowing that worry triggers anxiety, which triggers more worrying, which triggers more anxiety—around and around endlessly—smart worriers take active steps to soothe themselves to dispel the anxiety. In The Worrywart’s Companion, Dr. Potter explains how worry can hijack our emotional brain. Some of her suggestions to becoming a “smart worrier” range from evaluating the cost of the worry to exercise to avoiding caffeine, taking a warm bath, deep breathing, list-making and counting your blessings.