Worries v Problems

  • If you think about it, a problem will have some sort of solution. It may not be a clear or simple solution, but you can still do something about the problem - and taking control of a situation immediately reduces how stressed you feel!
  • For example, you can deal with the problem of 'not being able to pay your bills' by speaking to the company, or going to a debt counselling service. You still may not be able to pay your bills but you are doing something about it all.
  • Equally, you can't solve other people's problems for them - so you can't ensure that your child is happy at school but you can help your child to gain self-confidence.
  • On the other hand, a worry is a type of daydream - you are fantasising about a negative future. None of us has any real control over future events as there are so many factors we can't know yet. What sort of new job? Where? Who will you be working with? How old is old? Does it matter if property markets crash (unless that's your business...)?
  • The minute you start going into details of the difficulties of your hypothetical new job or your old age or what might happen to your child in the future, you are just drifting in negative fantasy...
  • Negative fantasy - or what we professionals call 'worry' - is a sap on your energy and can become a habit that's hard to give up

But don't despair! Help is at hand on the next page!

Until you know the difference between a worry and a problem, it's very hard to do anything about worrying! So try this out to see if you can spot the difference.

Drag the thought to the correct column. You can move the thoughts around until you are happy with where they are. Then click on the answers to get more information.

To be sorted
  • How will I cope when I'm old?
  • How can I help my child to feel confident?
  • What if the property market crashes again?
  • What will happen if I change my job?
  • How can I pay my bills?
  • What if I were to go broke?
  • Will my child be happy at school?
  • How can I keep as fit as possible?
  • What am I going to do today?
  • How can I improve my job prospects?
  • What will happen next month?
  • Do I want to move?