Worring Skills

We usually assume that no good can come of worring but it doesn’t stop us doing it. We run our mental ‘home movies’ of future events as if they had already turned out bad. We re-run old conversations and worry that we should have said this or wished we hadn’t said that. So can any good come of worrying?

Worrying is usually thought of as a bad thing because it focuses on the negative side. However, it is possible to use the same set of resources with a positive focus. You may be surprised to hear people speaking of worrying as being skill. But don't forget that skills are something we practise in order to eventually get good at them.. .Worrying actually involves two key psychological skills: the ability to form vivid mental pictures and to create inner dialogue.

Both are usually stuck with a bad connotation..Once we switch the emphasis to ‘inspire’ we can create and rehearse positive mental pictures and words instead of bad ones. Using these skills helps us support our goals, such as ttaking exams, going on a dates, giving a presentation, and so on. If you’ve got a desired end result in mind, the you can use positive worrying to builld yourself up rather than down.

Positive worrying involves creating a mental image of the end result, or the finishing line, not how you are going to get there. Focusing on the end result creates a sense that you’ve already succeeded and helps to build motivation.