Mark Twain once said, "I have spent most of my time worrying about things that have never happened."

Does that sound familiar?

Have feelings of worry been creeping into your everyday life?

Worry is a natural emotion that most of us deal with from time to time... but we have to be careful not to become consumed by it.

It's easy to worry about our loved ones' safety and happiness, about making the right decisions, about having enough money to pay the bills, about our health, about spending enough time with family, about figuring out what we really want out of life, about the world and our future... The list could go on and on.

When you think about it, worry is simply a fear of the unknown.

But here's the thing (and I know what I'm about to say may surprise you), some good can actually come out of worrying.

You see, you can use feelings of worry to your advantage when you learn how to recognize them, harness them, and overcome them! Let me explain...

The next time you feel anxiety lurking around the corner, try these four tips to stop worrying and start living with confidence and ease:

Strategy 1 - Harness your worries to get to the root cause

"If you worried about falling off the bike, you'd never get on." - Lance Armstrong

Many of our deep-seeded fears and limiting beliefs are the root cause to what's unleashing a whole lot of worry into our life.

So where do these fears come from? If we want to know how to STOP worrying, it’s important to know where it STARTS.

We begin to develop our belief system from a very early age and it typically takes shape from subconscious experiences we observe while growing up.

When we can identify why something deeply worries us, it becomes much easier to let it go and move forward. I used to be over $120,000 in debt and I used to worry about money and bills... A LOT.

It wasn't until I discovered that I had a limiting belief around money, which I had developed as a young girl, that I was finally able to release my fears and move forward into a life filled with wealth and abundance.

Strategy 2 - Harness your worries to help improve your focus

"Stop worrying about what you have to lose and start focusing on what you have to gain." - Unknown

When we worry, we tend to focus on the possible negative outcomes, rather than all of the positive ones. Even if the odds are slim-to-none, it's important to focus on what could go right, rather than what could go wrong.

Perhaps you have a fear of flying and you experience major anxiety because of it, when in fact, flying is statistically the safest means of travel. Focus on that fact, as well as other benefits, like getting to your destination quicker, spending more time where you're vacationing or with the people you're visiting, and enjoying the view from high above - flying at 30,000 feet can certainly bring the world into perspective :)

If you're struggling with staying focused, there are tips and tricks you can use: meditation, hypnosis, brainwave entrainment, reading a book... use anything that will help you concentrate your thoughts on all of the positives and things that make you feel good.

Another easy tip to stop worrying, is to let go of what you can’t control. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your way of thinking about it.” This simple knowledge can do wonders for your mind as it releases you from trying to control the future. Anxiety comes from anticipating problems that haven’t even happened yet! (And they may never actually even happen.) So do yourself a favor, and focus on the positive reality that you see in front of you.

Strategy 3 - Harness your worries to serve as motivation for learning

"I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear." - Steve Maraboli

Worry goes beyond empathy and concern, it's usually accompanied by feelings of uncertainty and fear. Oftentimes, we worry because we don't truly understand what will happen and how others will react to it.

If you are given an unfamiliar task or you have to take a new life route, do not let the fear of the unknown get you down. Maybe it’s better to break it down in smaller pieces or ask someone who’s gone through a similiar experience.

Use your worry to drive your curiosity. Learning about the details of the problem and all of the possibilities that lie ahead, will help to clarify the issue and ease your mind. Try to look on the positive side of things, and remember that others have been in similar situations and have come out on top.

Strategy 4 - Harness your worries to visualize the future you want

"Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don't want." - Esther Hicks

We all play out scenarios in our minds, but it's up to us to decide whether we want those possible outcomes to be wrapped in positive or negative energy.

When we let worry prevail, it's often linked to negative thoughts and worst case possibilities of what could happen. It's harder to find things to be grateful for, and we aren't able to get into a high vibrational state to attract what we actually desire.

Instead, make a conscious effort to embrace the future you yearn for by visualizing yourself in that life now. Positive visualization is incredibly powerful. A very popular way to visualize your ideal life is to use vision boards or Mind Movies. Using inspiring images, motivational music, and positive affirmations, this simple and fun visualization activity will bring you peace instead of worry.

Picture yourself happy and spending quality time with your loved ones and friends, making the right decisions with confidence, overflowing in abundance and generosity, living a balanced life with loads of energy, creating a life of bliss and passion, traveling the world to broaden your horizons... picture anything and everything you desire :)

As you’re visualizing your future, it’s great to use the Law of Attraction to manifest your desires at a quicker, more enjoyable pace. And I have the perfect Law of Attraction gift for you! It’s an inspiring video e-course featuring the biggest Law of Attraction stars from The Secret: Bob Proctor, Marci Shimoff, Dr. Joe Vitale, and John Assaraf.

The tips and secrets inside will help you quantum leap yourself into your dream life faster than you’ve ever imagined possible. Click here to get free access. Enjoy!

Do you have any other tips on how to stop worrying? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below :)