By Dr. Anthony Policastro

We are currently bombarded by news from multiple sources. Some of it comes from the media. Television and print media have been joined by online media. Some of it comes from sources other than formal media. We live in an age where anyone can spread information. Sometimes it is true. Sometimes it is not.

However, in almost all circumstances, it is just informational. Very little of it involves things we can change. We can only listen.

A problem arises when we let that information bother us. Worrying about things we cannot change does not accomplish anything other than creating anxiety. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to limit that anxiety.

The first thing is to decide whether there is anything you can do about the issue. For example, you can make preparations for inclement weather. However, there is nothing you can do about the weather.

Other people might have opinions about which we do not agree. However, we are unlikely to change those opinions. The same thing can be said about their behavior. We may not like it but we cannot control it. Therefore, worrying about it accomplishes nothing.

Global events are going to occur no matter what we do. An example of this is the recent earthquakes in Venezuela. We cannot change those things no matter how much we worry.

There are things we can control. One of those is how you react to certain situations. We need to ask ourselves how we can react better to situations. We may not be able to change the situation. However, we can change our reactions.

There are times when we get into a rut of negative thinking. We come up with “what if” scenarios. In those situations, we need to ask ourselves how realistic the scenarios are. Then we need to assess whether they are realistic enough to waste our time and energy worrying about them.

One approach is to ask yourself if there is any one specific thing you can do at that point in time. Doing that can help reduce anxiety.

Some people suggest creating a daily “worry period”. You set up a specific time of the day. You limit the time. You then spend that time writing down your worries. You review what you have written. Frequently, you will wind up asking yourself why you even worried about it in the first place.

There are things called cognitive distortions that allow us to blow things up out of proportion. For example, a single failure leads us to think we will never be successful at anything. Therefore, why try in the first place?

Another example is assuming we know what people are thinking. We attribute evil thoughts about us to someone who does not have any.

We may always look for worst-case scenarios. You might blame yourself for something you had no control over. You might think that you succeeded by pure luck and not because of actual good performance. These are all forms of cognitive distortion.

Worrying is sometimes healthy. Sometimes it is not. Being overcome by worry is not healthy. So the next time you hear news that makes you worry, ask yourself if it is necessary to do so or if it is something you cannot control anyway.