High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 680: How to Live More and Worry Less

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

In this episode of High Performance Mindset, Dr. Cindra dives into the science of worry—and how to take back control of your mind and energy. Drawing on research from Dr. Robert Leahy, she shares that 85% of what we worry about never actually happens. Even more powerful: when our fears do come true, we tend to handle them better than expected.   Cindra unpacks why our brains are wired to worry—usually about the people and priorities we care most about—and how unchecked worry can steal our joy, drain our energy, and keep us stuck in the future. She then shares three practical strategies to reduce worry: Notice and label your thoughts instead of reacting to them. Schedule a “worry window” to contain anxious thinking. Let go of perfectionism and the need to plan for every possible outcome. The episode closes with a calming power phrase to carry with you: “I quiet my mind and return to the present.” REQUEST A FREE MENTAL BREAKTHROUGH CALL WITH DR. CINDRA AND/OR HER TEAM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MENTALLY STRONG INSTITUTE Love the show? Rate and review the show for Cindra to mention you on the next episode.

Hi friends, my name is Dr. Syndra Kamboff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. tips to help you get after your goals use of the imagination. Okay, that's a good one. So we're talking about worry. Do you have an example to start today with? I do. I want to tell you about a research study that's really powerful. So in the early

2000s, a researcher named Dr. Robert Lainty conducted a study on worry and anxiety, and he asked participants to write down every worry that they had over the last two weeks. And then they tracked whether the worry actually happened. And the result was a staggering 85% of the things people worried about actually never happened. And of the 15% that did, the majority said they handled the situation better than they expected. And I think the study has really stuck with me

because it shows just how much time and energy we waste on thoughts that never really become reality. And so today we're going to dive into how to worry less, how to live more, and reclaim the energy and joy. All right. So why is it that we worry in the first place? Well, first of all, our brains are just wired to worry. In fact, research shows that our brains generate scenarios of possible future events in order just to prepare our brain and body to deal with them. And you know, we typically only worry about things that we really care about. I worry about my work

or my family or my friends. But worry can really kill our joy and take us out of the present moment and just really become self-sabotaging. All right. So what would be the first thing that you would tell us to do if we find ourselves worrying? I would say the first thing you should do is just to notice and allow the thoughts that you have and not suppress them or push them down. And just what I would first encourage you to do is label the thoughts and feelings. And I think one thing to keep in mind is that worrying is future oriented, meaning that

when we worry, we're focused on the future, not the present. And one research study found that just by allowing worrying thoughts to be there and just observing them really calmly, rather than reacting to them, can actually reduce their frequency. So I think first thing is just to notice and notice how your mind is in the future. All right. So what is another strategy that we could use to reduce worry? Another strategy is something called the worry window.

And this means to give your worries a designated time and place so they don't take over your whole life. So for example, maybe you schedule a specific time each day, maybe 15 minutes in the evening, or even if you said, I'm gonna, you know, worry on Tuesday at 6pm, and so that you can, you can just let your worry just be more intentional. Again, this is your worry window. So you know, the point of this is that during the day when a worry pops up, just jot them down and remind yourself, you know, I'll think about that during my worry time.

And then when your worry time arrives, just review your list. And I think what you'll find is that many of your worries maybe no longer feel important or they never really needed your attention to begin with. Okay, so what is another strategy, the last strategy that you're going to provide to us today? So I would say the last trend B is you know research shows that people who worry a lot also are more likely to be perfectionistic, meaning they're just kind of preoccupied with their mistakes and feeling that they always have to

make perfect decisions. So I would say you know if you're a professionist or if you identify that way you may feel just the need to explore every possible scenario and find a solution. And the problem is that thinking about all the negative possibilities makes you even more anxious. So a third strategy is to reduce the worry, is just to become more aware of your tendencies. And you know, kind of this idea of progress over profession is key. All right, how would you summarize today for us?

Nisa, I would say our brains are wired to worry, but that can kill your joy and take you out of the present and just drain your energy. So the key is to overcome your worry. So notice your thoughts, label them, use the worry window, and just move on from things a little bit more quickly. And this can help you practice accepting uncertainty and move on from perfectionism.

Do you have a power phrase for us this week? I do. It's this, I quiet my mind and return to the present. Alright, so if you have to live more and worry less and we want to read more about this, I'm sure you've written about it in one of your books or talked about it in a podcast. How do we follow you for more information? Sure, you can head over to Dr. Syndra, so drcindra.com, and you can find all about my books Beyond Grit and Beyond Grit for Business where I do talk about the symbols to them. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset.

I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Syndra for show notes and enjoy my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can head over to Dr. Syndra. That's D-R-C-I-N-B-R-A dot com. See you next week.