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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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How Not to Worry summary
Paul McGee
The Remarkable Truth of How a Small Change Can Help You Stress Less and Enjoy Life More
24 mins
Table of Contents
How Not to Worry
Summary of 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
Worrying, anxiety and stress are all part of a cycle that can affect your health.
Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, overthinking an upcoming presentation?
Worries can quickly snowball out of control. The key to combating them is remembering this simple motto: “Stop before you spiral.”
Worrying is part of a cycle, where the next stops are anxiety and stress. More precisely, it’s a mode of thinking that leads to anxiety, which in turn, triggers your body’s survival instinct – a series of physical reactions that fall under the category of stress. These can include heart palpitations, dilated pupils and a tightened chest.
Worry, anxiety and stress form a feedback loop. Worrying is both a cause and effect of anxiety or stress, and the cycle can be triggered at any stage. Stress can lead to anxiety and worry, while anxiety can also cause worry and stress.
Take one of the author’s experiences to see how this works.
During a holiday in northwest England, he and his wife heard a seemingly vicious dog barking from behind a hedge. Fearing an imminent attack, the couple’s “fight or flight” instinct kicked in.
In other words, the barking caused stress while their fear of an attack caused anxiety. Agonizing about finding a quick escape route made them worry. It turned out that the author had merely imagined that the dog was prowling around without an owner or a leash, as he felt immediately threatened by the unknown growls.
Once you get stuck in this cycle, it starts taking its toll on your quality of life.
There are a number of physical symptoms. Stress weakens your immune system and leaves you more susceptible to illnesses, as well as decreasing your sex drive.
Mentally, the cycle robs you of the valuable headspace you need to make sound decisions. To put it starkly, stress makes you stupid, as you’re constantly reacting to a threatening world rather than acting rationally.
Most importantly, you lose the ability to simply enjoy the present moment when you’re stuck in this kind of feedback loop. When you’re constantly preoccupied by worst-case scenarios, you lose your sense of motivation and creative inspiration.
Now that we’ve seen how worrying is linked to anxiety and stress, we’ll explore the root causes of your worries.
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What is How Not to Worry about?
How Not to Worry (2012) is a practical and accessible roadmap to defeating anxiety, stress and worry. Logical and clearly laid out, life coach Paul McGee’s approach is all about small changes that make a big difference. He shows that by thinking analytically, you can start dealing with worries rationally and free up valuable headspace for more pleasurable pursuits.
Who should read How Not to Worry?
- Serial worriers and the terminally stressed out
- Life and performance coaches
- Psychology buffs
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