Everybody worries about something at one point or another. It’s just part of being human.

But if worrying gets too frequent and too intense, it can lead to bigger problems in the long run.

Or even worse… worrying becomes an addiction…

In fact, I’ve just reviewed my day and here’s a list of some of the things I had worried about:

• I’m running out of bananas and might be left with none tomorrow
• I checked my email late in the afternoon and wondered if there was anything important sitting in my inbox
• Dinner was not appetizing and I was scared that my stomach might howl for food later at night
• I had to wait in the for exceptionally long and was afraid that I was going to miss my favorite TV show

While these worries might seem insignificant, I am aware that people facing stress and anxiety conditions could worry about things much much bigger than I did. And they could be logical issues or radical thoughts.

Here are some simple ways to relief stress and distract yourself from worrying too much.

1) Worry another day

As outrageous as it sounds, you have the power to decide to worry another day. Schedule them for another time slot. You have other things to do anyway.

While the very reasons you are worrying could be something serious like financial concerns, do understand that worrying at 4am in the morning is not going to make any difference to your life.

The odds of a solution popping into your mind when your body is craving for sleep is very small compared to in the day when your body is awake and mind alert.

Set aside a time like tomorrow afternoon from 3pm to 4pm to worry about whatever you intend to worry about.

It’s more productive this way. And you don’t suffer from extra stress you can do without.

2) Exaggerate your worries

If you blow up your worries, you could see the funny side of how ridiculous you are being to yourself.

For example, if you are meeting the parents of your girlfriend tomorrow and afraid of giving a bad account of yourself, humor yourself a little.

Maybe they could find you hilarious and obnoxiously lovable. What’s the worst that could happen?

If you think about the worse that could possibly happen, maybe the stuff you are worrying about is not that scary after all.

3) Listen to music and sing along

This is more of a distraction technique.

Music can be like a magic potion for emotions. It can trigger feelings like happiness, loneliness, sadness, etc.

I myself have a song that gets my adrenaline pumping each time I need motivation. And then there is also a song that makes me tear up by reminding me of a past relationship.

Yet I always forget about music therapy whenever I feel down and out. This is even though I know the positive effects the right song can give me.

Identify you most relaxing songs that strike a chord with you. Keep them on your smart phone. And organize them in a playlist and play them whenever you worry.

While this might only be a temporary stop-gap. It might actually be enough to swing your mind towards something else that you have no worries with.

4) Find nature

Mother nature has it all figured out. She gave us the ocean, rain forests, mountains, and puppies to make us feel the goodness of life.

Then we came along and construct skyscrapers and highways to stress ourselves.

Being with nature is one of the best ways to relax and calm down.

Go to a park. Go on a hiking trail. Go watch and listen to the waves at the nearest beach. Or visit the animal shelter to play with cats and dogs. You might even want to adopt one while you are at it.

When tough times find you, you find nature.

5) Aromatherapy

If you have yet to give aromatherapy a try, you are missing out big time!

The scent of essential oils is just… heavenly.

You don’t even need a burner or a diffuser to pamper you nose with these natural oils. Many of them are harmless to the skin. Dab a drop or two on your wrist and you are set.

Be mindful that some oils can harm the skin. So do ask a salesperson before buying a scent you fancy.

Aromatherapy is not limited to essential oils too. You can try things that give out aroma like:

• Cookies
• Apples
• Soap
• Coffee
• etc

You won’t know how well your body responds to these scents until you try them.

6) Candles

There is just something about flickering flames that calms the mind. Maybe science will be able to decipher this miraculous connection in the near future.

Line them up in the bathroom while you sink yourself into the bath tub. Or place them strategically in the living room while you listen to relaxing music.

Before you know it, you would have a much clearer mind… and even think about the moment of creation…

Just be mindful of fire hazards when playing with fire. You are an adult after all. And a fire is just going to give you something extra to worry about.