Let's face it; most of us have spent at least a few nights unable to silence the "worry" voice in our heads. Not only does worry keep us from getting much needed sleep, it never solves anything.

In fact, research has shown the more we think of all the things that could go wrong, the more things do go wrong. It is time to stop the worry cycle and redirect your life.

Try this simple exercise; pick one thing you are worried about and allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come with your fear. Not such a good feeling is it?

Now, take that same worry and imagine that whatever negative outcome you have been thinking about will not, can not, happen. You will have an easy drive to work, you will have 15 minutes today to exercise, you will share a wonderful meal with family and the list goes on. That feels pretty good doesn't it?

The only thing that changed was how you were thinking. You were sending positive emotions out and receiving positive emotions back.

Ten ways to break the worry cycle

1 Acknowledge a "worry" thought. In many cases simply being aware of these thoughts is enough to send them packing. Say "I am aware of this thought, but it does not control me".
2 Release worry. Once acknowledged it is easier to allow the worry to be released. Here you would say "I release the worry and allow positive insight to replace it".
3 Accept. Accepting a worry thought does not mean you allow it to overwhelm you, it only means that you accept that you have this thought. You are also accepting other thoughts, ones with more positive feelings.
4 Ask yourself if worrying feels good or bad. While this may sound like a no-brainer because of course worrying feels bad, it is a good exercise to bring you back in line with positive emotions.
5 Pretend you are someone else with this particular worry and think of what advice you might give that "other" person. Chances are you would be supportive and offer uplifting advice, so go ahead and do the same for your self.
6 Remove yourself from the situation. Get outside and go for a walk, listen to music or ride your bike. Activity increases endorphins.
7 Keep a journal just for worry thoughts. Once you write it down, resolve to let the thought go for awhile. It might surprise you to find that days later when you happen to look at the last worry entry, it has become a non-issue.
8 Writing a worry down on a piece of paper and throwing it away is also a great way to break the worry cycle. This is great to do at work, just make sure you throw your worries away where no one will find them!
9 Meditate. You do not need to spend hours in meditation, a few minutes will do. To get started just have one pleasant thought to focus your attention on. It may be something that you have experienced, or something you would like to experience. The important thing here is to feel the good emotions that come with your thought.
10 Count your blessings. This simple exercise affirms all that is good in your life. It replaces negative feelings with positive feelings.