Worrying vs Planning: The Difference Between Being Scared & Being Prepared

Instead of convincing yourself that you are only being a top-notch planner instead of the intense worrier that you are, come learn the differences between worrying & planning so you can call yourself when you need to.

Show Notes:
I am both a top-notch worrier & planner. I LOVE planning things down to the nitty gritty details, while also almost worrying myself to death because of the fear of something not turning out the way I was hoping or expecting. I know I’m not alone in this. And often I try to play off my worrying as elaborate planning, but that usually doesn’t work. 

It’s common for people to think they are planning when they are actually worrying. But it’s also common for people to think someone is worrying when they are actually just doing a great job planning. I’m sure you can see how knowing the difference between these 2 can be confusing & tricky sometimes. 

And let’s not forget about the negative connotation that worrying has on it. People never want to be labeled as a ‘worrier’ because it’s deemed something we shouldn’t be & could be seen as weak or struggling or incapable of managing our emotions to other people. And even though we are not supposed to be caring about other people’s opinions, it’s still tough.

There is a place for both worry & planning. I know worrying isn’t a good habit to have, but it’s a natural response to have when you are in the midst of something unknown & whether or not the end result will be positive causes some concern. It’s what happens when you are connected to whatever is at stake. 

And of course planning is important because it’s helpful to get ahead of a situation that involves a lot activities, actions, people, places, all the things. Planning ensures experiences happen with the least amount of issues & struggles, while also accounting for everything needed & how it all should go. But there is a line that can be crossed that takes it further than it should, you know?

That’s why today I wanted to go over the differences between worrying & planning:

1. When you worry, you have tons of thoughts racing through your mind. When you are planning, you are intentionally coming up with ideas, solutions & spending time brainstorming.
2. Worrying isn’t helpful or productive because it doesn’t initiate any action for things to change. Planning is very helpful & productive in whatever you’re trying to accomplish.
3. Worrying is listing all the ways you aren’t prepared. Planning is listing all the ways you are prepared.
4. When you worry, you focus on what’s outside of your control & make decisions based in fear. When you plan, you decide what to do based on what you can control.
5. When you worry, you aren’t clear in what you need from others because you’re focused on the unknown. When you plan, you are very clear in what you need from others because you’re basing it on what you do know.
6. When you worry, you come up with so many worst-case scenarios without developing a solution for the problem. When you plan, you come up with a backup plan to any worst-case scenarios you come up with.
7. Worrying feels like it will never end (held hostage). Planning thoughts can stop when a plan has been decided on.

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