Worrying is human; we all do it. Or at least, I certainly do! But nowadays I worry much less than I used to. Here are 5 steps I’ve used to turn my worries into joy, which you can use to ease your worries too:

Step 1) It's OK to worry

There is a saying that I don't agree with: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself". Such nonsense. By fearing fear you will only create more fear. It is completely OK to worry. We all do. You really don't have to worry about worrying: It is OK to worry.

Step 2) It is useless to worry

And just think about it for a moment: of all those worries you have in your head, how many become reality? Almost none. Every time I hang my shopping bag on the handlebars of my bicycle I worry that it will drop and my jar of jam will break. It never happens. Well, almost never. ;-) 99% of our worries never become reality! So it is OK to worry, but it is also useless to worry. Most worries never become reality. And even if they do, you can never really prepare for the things that you are worrying about.

Step 3) Love is stronger than fear

But what if all our thoughts end up being manifested? This is what some people believe. I know I do. Every thought is an energetic entity that is sent out into the Universe to be answered by the Universe in the form of your life experiences. But even if you believe this is the case, don't worry about it: happy or loving thoughts are far more powerful than fearful or worrying ones.

Think about it like this: wouldn’t you agree that a person who loves his or her work is 10 times more productive than somebody who hates their work? Well, the same is true for loving thoughts and worrying thoughts; they are 10 times more powerful.

So even if you have 10 worrying thoughts for every loving thought, you are already on neutral ground.

So relax! You are doing great, really.

Step 4) Move towards your joy

The key is to start focusing on what you like in life instead of what you don't. This can be easily done by making a "What makes me happy list" - a list with "what makes me happy" on top and a big heart drawn at the bottom (see an example at the end of this article). On this list, you write down the things you are grateful for and what you'd like more of in your life, your dreams. These are the things you like, and within your likes are the things that you love. Whenever you feel like it you can write the things you love inside your heart.

Step 5) The trick: watch your feelings in daily life

How do you learn to recognise your dreams? Simply by watching your feelings in daily life. Whenever something feels good, there was a thought or an experience that made you happy. This can be either a dream or something you are grateful for. Write it down. However, when something gives you a negative feeling, you can turn that thought around and create a new dream. For example: "I am fed up with that noise in the house!" is the dream for “a quiet household” in disguise.

Exercise

Make a "What makes me happy list".

This is mine :)