How can I stop worrying when there’s nothing I need to worry about yet?

Hi, and thank you so much for your question! 

What you describe is something many people can relate to. It is easy to get caught up in our own thoughts when something pops into our mind that triggers worry. It is understandable that this uncertainty can make us want to use different strategies to reduce the risk of something going wrong. 

Many people who worry feel that the problem is the worry thoughts themselves. If only the thoughts stopped appearing, the problem would be solved. 

Another perspective is that it is not primarily the worry thoughts themselves that cause distress, but how we respond to them. And this is something that varies considerably between people. For some, thoughts about possible future threats do not tend to take hold very strongly. 

For others, worry thoughts have a greater impact. The thoughts are interpreted as important and as a sign that something needs to be done. Worry may be seen as helpful, for example because it could make us better prepared for the future or reduce the risk of overlooking something important. These positive beliefs about worry can make us more likely to continue engaging with worry thoughts. 

Negative beliefs about worry, such as believing that worry is uncontrollable, can also lead us to spend more time worrying. It might feel like: “Once I start worrying, I can’t stop.” We may also start worrying about the worry itself, with thoughts such as: “It can’t be healthy to worry this much!” 

One characteristic of problematic worry is that our attention becomes less flexible, so that we spend more of our time focused on potential threats. We may get caught up in thinking further about whatever is worrying us, analysing different possibilities, looking out for things that might go wrong, checking or seeking reassurance, or avoiding things that trigger worry. 

Put simply, the more time we spend worrying, monitoring for possible threats, and trying to control our thoughts, the more likely we are to keep the worry going. 

So, what can we do to worry less? 

One option is to practise relating differently to the worry thoughts that tend to trigger further worrying. When the thought “Soon I’ll have loads of studying to do” appears, you do not need to start processing it in any particular way. Simply notice that a thought has appeared, without trying to work out whether it is true or important. You do not need to engage with the content of the thought, nor do you need to try to get rid of it. 

Trying to push worry thoughts away is generally not very helpful, because doing so means that you are still indirectly monitoring them. Your attention is still tied to the thoughts, just in a different way, rather than allowing your attention to move freely. 

Instead, you can practise allowing worry thoughts to be there in the background without giving them all of your attention. Try viewing them as just one of many thoughts that can come and go and then return your attention to whatever you were doing before the thought appeared. 

An analogy that can help you practise relating differently to worry thoughts is to imagine your thoughts as a film you are watching. You are a passive observer, not the director. Your job is not to decide which thoughts should appear or what should happen next. Simply let the film play without trying to control it. 

This is something you can practise. Over time, you may discover that you have more choice over where you direct your attention than it might initially seem, and that you can have a worry thought in the background without needing to continue engaging with it. 

The aim, then, is not to never have worry thoughts. The aim is to have greater freedom to choose where you direct your time and energy when those thoughts appear. 

As you reduce the amount of time you spend responding to worry thoughts, worry takes up less space. This is not because your mind stops producing worry thoughts, but because you stop treating them as something that has to be analysed, solved, or controlled. 

Many people may benefit from support from a mental health professional when learning to relate differently to worry. Some student health services offer counselling or psychological support, and if they do not, their staff may be able to guide you towards appropriate support. 

Take care! 

Licensed Psychologist