Worried? Meet your fears head on, here's how to navigate them

When it comes to worry, there’s no shortage of things that keep us up at night – some of it probably has us tossing and turning at times.

A woman worries about her life's direction at sunset
Photo: BĀBI/Unsplash

Reframing how you handle disappointments can help you worry less. The goal is to focus on what you have the power to control.

by Paul Arco
OSF Healthcare

The clock ticks past midnight. Your eyes are open, your body still – but your mind is anything but quiet. From bills to health scares to family stress, worry shows up, unpacks, and overstays its welcome.

When it comes to worry, there’s no shortage of things that keep us up at night – some of it probably has us tossing and turning at times.

According to experts like Ashley Pratt, a psychotherapist with OSF HealthCare, most of what we fret about never comes to fruition. But that doesn’t stop us from experiencing a few anxious moments.

But why do we worry?

“It’s actually part of our human nature,” says Pratt. “Our brain is designed to help us protect ourselves from danger or unpleasant experiences. So, worry is kind of our brain’s way of helping us navigate or prepare for those things.”

But some worrying can serve a purpose, Pratt says. For example, if you’re worried about skin cancer, you might be more diligent when it comes to protecting your skin. If you’re worried about money, you might become thriftier when it comes to spending.

Pratt says the best way to get a hold of worry is to concentrate on what you can control.

“Focus on what we have power over,” Pratt says. “That's one of my favorite ways to manage worry. That way we can start to incorporate other coping skills through our life, whether it's breathing exercises or talking to friends, listening to podcasts, doing enjoyable hobbies throughout our week.”

Still, life happens and that means some things we worry about do come true. Pratt recommends meeting those fears head on.

Trying to worry less takes time and lots of work.

“I think we can learn that we can get through it, first and foremost,” she emphasizes. “Even if our worries do come true occasionally, we can cope with it. Worry gives us opportunities to learn about how we handle those situations.”

Instead of worrying, Pratt says to trust yourself IF something negative does happen. It’s better to remain calm than distressed when trying to solve a potential problem.

But if you are having a tough time navigating those worries, there are ways you can calm your nerves. For example, stay off your phone, where you can find news that may be upsetting. Check in with people in your inner circle that you trust and can talk to. Finally, Pratt suggests starting the practice of gratitude.

“It helps rewire those negative thoughts and give us more focus on the things that are going well in our lives,” Pratt says.

Trying to worry less takes time and lots of work. If you can’t seem to find any relief on your own, Pratt recommends seeking professional help.

“If it feels unmanageable, reaching out to someone, whether your doctor for medication management, going to therapy, learning different techniques and just finding something that works.”

Ways to worry less Robert Leahy is a psychologist and author of the book “The Worry Cure.” He offers the following tips to cope with worry.

1. Identify productive and unproductive worry
Determine whether worry will help you find solutions to a problem. If yes, write a to-do list with steps to help solve the problem.

2. Track your worries
Write down your unproductive worries throughout the day and dedicate time to thinking about them.

3. Accept uncertainty
Leahy says repeating a worry for 20 minutes (“I may never fall asleep” or “I could lose my job”) lessens its power.

4. Be mindful
Leahy says there are ways to be mindful throughout the day. Work on living in the now by practicing deep breathing. Let your body relax to release the tension.

5. Reframe your worry
Leahy says reframing how you handle disappointments can help worry. Ask yourself what you have learned from your bad experiences. Make a list of things that make you grateful.

6. Put worries in perspective
Learn from previous worries. If you can’t remember what they were, it might mean they never came true, or you were able to deal with them and move on.


More stories ~
  • Six ways Trump's budget will damage rural American's way of life
  • Tariffs, the goose, the gander and the American dream
  • Illinois farmers await proposed Trump tariffs, questioning how they will affect their agribusiness operations
  • Vaccination is key to ending a resurgence of measles and stopping a preventable disease from spreading
  • Illinois lawyer says Kilmar Obrego Garcia case is a ‘constitutional crisis’
  • Tollway Authority asked to explain error costing Illinois taxpayers $44.6 million
    • at

    Pritzker signs executive order to prepare tariff game plans' to protect the state

    Illinois governor signs executive order that requires state agencies to draft plans to mitigate effects of the Trump Administration's tariffs last week.

    by Ben Szalinski
    Capitol News Illinois

    SPRINGFIELD - Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Monday requiring Illinois agencies to draft recommendations to respond to tariffs being implemented by President Donald Trump.

    The order requires seven state agencies to “consider the specific impacts that the U.S. tariffs have had on Illinois and provide draft recommendations of measures to mitigate the impact of these tariffs” within the next 100 days, which would be Oct. 22. Pritzker said in a statement that tariffs amount to a tax increase on consumers and contribute to economic uncertainty.

    “This Executive Order ensures we have a clear-eyed view of the impact the Trump Slump will cause from higher prices at the grocery store to uncertainty in our farms and factories,” Pritzker said. “We’re working with other states to stand up for working people and protect our economies when we can.”

    The order cites large tariffs Trump has unilaterally implemented on most countries, including some of Illinois’ largest trading partners, saying the tariffs have raised prices for consumers and businesses and led to supply chain disruptions. The order says tariffs as well as retaliatory tariffs countries have imposed on the United States are hurting “vital sectors of the Illinois economy.”

    After previously pushing off implementation of some tariffs until Aug. 1 to allow time for negotiations, Trump announced last week many countries will see tariffs take effect. His latest policy includes 35% tariffs on Canada, 30% on Mexico and the European Union, and between 25% and 40% on many Asian countries. The president previously imposed 145% tariffs on goods from China in the spring, but many of his latest rates are lower than they would have been earlier this year.

    Illinois imports more goods from Canada than any other country.

    Image courtesy Capitol News Illinois

    Screenshot of executive order filing with Illinois Secretary of State by Gov. JB Pritzker, who issued his third executive order this year last week. The EO requires certain state agencies to draft plans to respond to federal tariffs.

    Order’s requirements

    Under Pritzker’s executive order, state agencies must examine the impact of tariffs on certain sectors of the economy or the agency’s operations.

    The departments of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Employment Security will evaluate challenges reported by businesses, employment trends since tariffs have been implemented, and industries most affected by tariffs.

    Pritzker’s executive order was part of actions taken by seven Democratic governors.

    The Department of Human Services will evaluate trends in food donations and supply chain challenges for food assistance programs, as well as the purchasing power of food banks and their ability to meet demand.

    The Department of Transportation and the Capitol Development Board will assess the impact of tariffs on construction costs, and the ability to purchase construction materials and complete projects within their timelines.

    The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security will evaluate any impacts to stockpiles and the ability to obtain supplies, including staying prepared for emergencies within budget constraints.

    Pritzker’s executive order was part of actions taken by seven Democratic governors to understand the impact of tariffs on their states.


    Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.


    More stories ~
  • Tariffs, the goose, the gander and the American dream
  • Illinois farmers await proposed Trump tariffs, questioning how they will affect their agribusiness operations
  • Small farms disproportionately impacted by extreme heat according to recent study
  • Learning by leading: Building teen entrepreneurship and real-world business know-how
    • at

    Viewpoint |
    These mmigrants were supposed to be protected, but Trump's administration came for them anyway

    Most Americans still tell pollsters immigration is good for their communities and reject cruel deportations, especially those that separate families, target people without criminal records, or penalize people who came here as young children.
    by Emily Rodiguez
          OtherWords

    In the 19 years my uncle has worked in the healthcare industry, he’s only missed one day — the day his mother, my grandmother, passed away. He would then help plan a funeral he couldn’t attend.

    Emily Rodiguez

    Photo provided

    If you live in his small town in Utah, you know my uncle. He’s the big man you see on a bike riding all over town. He’s part of the kitchen staff at a care facility and a friend to the other workers and patients. He’s the man who has the bus schedule memorized and can get you anywhere.

    He’s also the man who was forced to miss his mother’s funeral in his home country. His immigration status requires him to apply for travel authorization, which can take months and puts him at risk of being denied reentry. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t possible for him to make it.

    While it’s characterized as temporary, over 200,000 TPS holders have lived here for more than two decades.

    Stories like these are all too common. And they could soon get worse.

    My uncle has what’s called Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to provide work authorization and protection from deportation to individuals from designated countries enduring armed conflict or environmental disasters.

    Over a million people rely on the program. While it’s characterized as temporary, over 200,000 TPS holders have lived here for more than two decades. They’ve established lives here, yet live with the fear that it could be taken away at any moment.

    Unfortunately, that moment has arrived.

    President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have made it clear that they’re coming for TPS. The administration has carelessly terminated or rescinded the legal status of hundreds of thousands of TPS holders, needlessly uprooting their lives.

    These deported TPS holders are now expected to navigate poverty, instability, violence, and other unsafe conditions in countries many haven’t lived in for decades. Many struggle to reintegrate after their return, and are often targeted by local criminal groups.

    While the administration slanders TPS holders as criminals, an overwhelming amount of research shows that immigrants actually make our communities safer. They have a nearly 95 percent employment rate and generate over $1.3 billion in federal taxes, contributing to programs like Social Security and Medicare. With a high rate of entrepreneurship, they generate a spending power of more than $8 billion.

    Their positive impact is undeniable. Yet instead of providing a pathway to citizenship, the Trump administration is systematically phasing out TPS and imposing significant financial hardship on TPS holders and their communities.

    I urge you to defend the rights of your neighbors.

    In addition to deeply slashing programs like SNAP to fund tax benefits for the wealthy, Trump and the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” also adds exorbitant new fees for immigrants with TPS, asylum seekers, and migrants on humanitarian parole. The new law increases initial application fees for TPS holders from $50 to $500 and adds a non-waivable $550 fee for work authorization for first-time applicants — along with a new annual renewal fee of at least $275.

    My uncle has already paid thousands of dollars in renewal fees during his 20 years as a TPS recipient, saving the money needed from his $16 an hour job to continue to work and provide for his family. Because my uncle loves this country, he’ll pay these predatory fees.

    But he shouldn’t have to — and neither should anyone else on TPS. Our communities are better because TPS holders are here. Their livelihoods are in jeopardy unless Congress provides them a pathway to citizenship.

    The American Dream and Promise Act would provide TPS holders — along with DACA recipients and other undocumented youth — a pathway to citizenship, along with the permanent relief and stability they and their families deserve.

    As the niece of one of the one million-plus TPS holders, I urge you to defend the rights of your neighbors. Now is the time to protect what makes our communities so great.


    Emily Rodiguez, a native of Utah, is a recent college graduate who’s pursuing a career in public policy. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.


    at
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

    More Sentinel Stories