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How To Stop Worrying: Learn to Shine Like a Diamond

Are you trying to stop worrying? After all, worrying is frustrating and exhausting. Learn seven tools to stop worrying with the acronym DIAMOND at HealthyPlace.

If you feel frustrated (and maybe even defeated) because you can't stop worrying, you're not alone. The tens of millions of people with anxiety are worrying, too. Worry involves running what-ifs and worst case scenarios through your head day and night. It creates anxious agitation, physical side effects, and strong emotions. It's exhausting and can reduce your quality of life. The good news is that you can break out of the cycle of relentless worry. Try this quick reference tool to easily remember techniques to stop worrying. 

Use This Tool to Stop Worrying 

Worry can be challenging to break because once anxious thoughts take hold in your mind and you begin to worry about them, anxiety grows, worries increase, and almost all other thoughts are blocked. Because of this, it can be hard to remember the tools and principles you've learned to stop worrying. A quick and simple phrase and acronym can help you remember how to pull yourself out of your worries. 

First, remember what will happen when you stop worrying. You will shine like a diamond. When anxiety and worry are lifted from your life, your brilliance will shine through and you'll be light. "Shine like a diamond" leads to the tool: the acronym DIAMOND. 

Shine Like a DIAMOND to Stop Worrying

The DIAMOND technique doesn't involve a complex step-by-step process. Each letter can stand alone. Once you learn the acronym, you'll have seven independent tools to choose from when you want to stop worrying. 

Defuse -- Separate yourself from the worries. Just because you think them doesn't mean they're true, so remind yourself, "I'm having the thought that . . ."

Importance -- What is important to you? What are your life values? Shift your thoughts from the content of your worry to thoughts of what you value. 

Accept -- Many worries are about things out of our control. A lot of what we fret over we can't change. Ask yourself if your current worry fits into this category. If it does, begin to think about it differently by accepting that worrying won't give you control. Then, shift your attention to what you can control

Mindfulness -- Pull your attention away from your worries and into the real, tangible world around you. Use all of your senses to pull your mind into the moment. Describe to yourself what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Return your attention to the moment every time worries creep in ("Use Mindfulness for Anxiety: Here's How"). 

Openness to alternate possibilities -- Counter your anxious thoughts. When you catch yourself in the world of "what-ifs," counter them. "What if my husband has a heart attack and I'm left alone," becomes "What if my husband stays healthy and we take that trip we've planned for years?" Then, dream about the trip. 

Never give up -- Beating anxiety and worry takes patience and practice, but it is absolutely possible. Give yourself a chance. 

Define yourself -- You're not your worries. Who are you at your core? How do you shine like a diamond? Visualize your ideal self to shift your attention away from worrying. 

These tools can and do reduce anxiety and worry. Use DIAMOND to remember them and use those that work for you as you learn to stop worrying. 

APA Reference
Peterson, T. (2018, November 1). How To Stop Worrying: Learn to Shine Like a Diamond, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, December 24 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/anxiety-schmanxiety/2018/11/how-to-stop-worrying-learn-to-shine-like-a-diamond



Author: Tanya J. Peterson, MS, NCC, DAIS

Tanya J. Peterson is the author of numerous anxiety self-help books, including The Morning Magic 5-Minute Journal, The Mindful Path Through Anxiety, 101 Ways to Help Stop Anxiety, The 5-Minute Anxiety Relief Journal, The Mindfulness Journal for Anxiety, The Mindfulness Workbook for Anxiety, and Break Free: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 3 steps. She has also written five critically acclaimed, award-winning novels about life with mental health challenges. She delivers workshops for all ages and provides online and in-person mental health education for youth. She has shared information about creating a quality life on podcasts, summits, print and online interviews and articles, and at speaking events. Tanya is a Diplomate of the American Institution of Stress helping to educate others about stress and provide useful tools for handling it well in order to live a healthy and vibrant life. Find her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Lizanne Corbit
November, 6 2018 at 5:23 pm

Oh I just love this!!! Shine bright like a DIAMOND. This is brilliant. Such a key point to remember -- "When anxiety and worry are lifted from your life, your brilliance will shine through and you'll be light." Thoughts like these can reignite hope where anxiety might have dimmed it. So important to remember that we can shine and not feel victimized.

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