Do You Worry Too Much?

When I was younger,  I felt inexplicably sad and couldn't shrug off my funk, so I went to a therapist for a few months. After I'd settle into one of the many armchairs in her cozy office, she would stare at me and just wait for me to start talking. It was kind of awkward...but talk I did! I told her how I worried about my job, my family, my friends, my dating life, random passersby on the street.  I was plagued by my worries.

And she told me the best thing ever.

Picture that the Grand Canyon is your life--your past, present and future. Startenvisioning the various parts of your life within the canyon: Over there is the day you were born, your third-grade choir performance, your job as a babysitter. Picture your present: There's your apartment, your friends, your mom, the book you're reading right now. Picture your future: There's your next vacation, the love of your life, your future children, the Top Chef finale. 

Now, my therapist told me, picture the enormous Grand Canyon and drop your worry into it. Whatever you're worrying about--your cranky boss, your dating life, a salty comment from a friend--will be barely visible. "See how tiny it looks?" she says. Suddenly your problem will seem much, much smaller in comparison to the grand course of your huge, rich, long life.

Brilliant, right? Since then, I've done the Grand Canyon visualization trick (many times), and it really works.