The worry list

As humans we often need to relearn how to live in the moment, to enjoy the beauty and support all around us. Instead we can easily spend a lot of our time thinking about the past (often as regret) or in the future (predominantly as worry). Of course there can be benefits in thinking about the past and future, but many of our ruminations are the not so constructive kind, such as endless repetition of the same old stories, of how things went wrong, or could go awry again.

There are many tools to help us learn to notice when we’re in these states, so that we can get better at moving on. The worry list is one of my favourites. It’s very simple – at some time in your daily routine, jot down the top five things that you’ve been worrying about today. These can be as big or small as you like – the citrus plants need watering, the dog needs more exercise, your career needs a revamp, a problematic relationship, a leaky tap.

The first point is simply to notice what’s coming up without judgement. This is also part of mindfulness practice, to be aware of what comes up in the mind, but not to get attached to their content. But it’s also useful to stop and consider what your mind if spending its time doing, as this assessment may motivate you to engage it in other ways instead.

Whilst some of what goes on in our mind can be very helpful, in many cases it's not. To illustrate this, take a look at your worry list, and imagine scheduling your day tomorrow around worrying about all of these things. Write a mental list - whilst hanging out washing make sure to worry about the citrus trees, then to pick this up again after a glance outside at lunchtime. Also schedule in feeling despondent about your job at least hourly, and make sure that comes to mind if you happen to start feeling happy about something. And so on. It sounds silly, yet when we reflect on our day, often that's how we've functioned.

You may also identify patterns in your worry list over days and weeks. In time, you may be able to notice when those worries come up during the day, smile in recognition that you’re playing this recording again, and let it go.