Did you know that if you have anxiety in almost any form, list making is your friend?

Anxiety in its purist form is about loss of control. It is that feeling that you cannot control the outcome you so desperately wish to do. And what better way to harness a little of the feeling of being in control than making a to-do list?

You can also make a to-don’t list. Construct it by writing “If I were feeling anxious, what might I be feeling anxious about?” Then make a quick list, jotting down every possible concern at that moment. That will give you the advantage and the opportunity to look at those thoughts with a little more objectivity. Ho ho–you may even decide to question those worries a bit.

You will get a bit of distance from your worries by getting them out of your head and down on paper. Old fashioned pen and paper can quickly help you dump an overloaded brain, and especially at bedtime when those ‘Oh I have to remember to… ‘ ideas are a jumping around up there like popcorn. Keep a pen and notepad by the bed for quick dumps. It beats worrying about forgetting! Taking anxiety and turning towards genuine problem solving keeps you in the here-and-now vs. staying in your head and continuing the same old pattern of worrying about the future.

Have a Very Merry Listmas!

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