Your Brain Isn’t Broken, It's Just on High Alert.

Your Brain Isn’t Broken, It's Just on High Alert.

You know the feeling. Your mind is spinning, you’re frozen, and it feels like a total roadblock.

You're stuck in a loop of worry, and it's exhausting you.

But let me tell you something: you're not flawed, you're just experiencing a very normal, human response.

The good news? You can learn to work with your brain, not against it, and get unstuck. This isn't about ignoring the worry; it’s about paying attention to it in a new, powerful way. Here’s how:

7 Ways to Use Your Brain to Calm Worry

1. Stay in the Moment. First things first: acknowledge the worry. Instead of pretending it’s not there, just look at it for a second. This is the heart of mindfulness. If you're spiraling about money, you can just say, "Yep, I'm having a worried thought about paying the bills this month." Naming it takes away some of its power.

2. Find the Emotions. What’s the worry making you feel? Stressed? Anxious? Overwhelmed? Give the feeling a name. You might feel a knot in your stomach or a tightening in your chest. Just notice it.

3. Kill the Worry with Normalcy. Your brain thinks these anxious feelings are a warning sign. It thinks you’re in danger. But you can reframe it by simply reminding yourself that this is a normal response to stress. Do this every time the worry pops up. It makes the thought less scary and helps calm your nervous system.

4. Look for Patterns. When do these worries show up? Is it when you’re scrolling through social media, seeing someone else's highlight reel? Is it late at night when you're alone with your thoughts? Paying attention to when your "flighty" mind" starts to flit around can help you stop it before it even begins.

5. Redirect. You are capable of being aware of your thoughts. Once you recognize the worry, you have a choice. You can redirect your attention to something else, something that feels productive. This doesn't mean you're ignoring the problem; it means you're taking control of your thoughts and putting them to work.

6. Allow the Emotion to Play Out. Worries can bring on a storm of negative feelings. Instead of trying to fight them off, just let them be. Watch them as if you were watching a movie. They will eventually dissipate on their own, a little bit at a time. Trying to suppress them just makes them stronger.

7. Take Action. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do to beat worry is to actually do the thing you're worried about. If you’re worried about launching something new, just hit publish. Take one small, consistent action. This is a micro-move that gives you a 'dopamine hit' of completion. It's a way of proving to your brain that you're in control and there was nothing to worry about in the first place.

Of course, some worries are there for a reason, so use your best judgment.

The point is this: your brain is on your team. It’s not working against you. The very act of paying close, kind attention to your worry is the first step in a powerful transformation.