To What Degree Can You Change the Situation by Worrying About It? | by Jenny Slukynsky

There’s a quiet lie many of us believe: that worrying is responsible. That if we think about something long enough - turn it over, analyze it from every angle - we’re somehow preventing it from going wrong.

But here’s the honest question:

To what degree can you actually change a situation by worrying about it?

If we’re brave enough to answer it truthfully, the number is usually very small.

The Illusion of Productivity

Worry masquerades as action.

It feels like effort. It feels like preparation. It even feels like control.

But most worry lives entirely in the mind. It doesn’t send the email. It doesn’t have the conversation. It doesn’t make the plan. It doesn’t move the body.

It just loops.

And looping is not leading.

There’s a meaningful difference between:

• Problem-solving

• Planning

• Preparing

• and simply rehearsing worst-case scenarios

Only the first three create change.

What Worry Actually Changes

Worry can change a few things, but they’re usually internal:

• Your stress level

• Your sleep

• Your tone with people you love

• Your ability to focus

• Your overall sense of peace

What it rarely changes:

• The past

• Other people’s choices

• Unpredictable outcomes

• The timing of events

• Reality itself

Worry doesn’t speed healing.
It doesn’t prevent hard conversations.
It doesn’t guarantee success.

It only drains the energy you’ll need when action is actually required.

The Control Test

When something feels heavy, try this simple filter:

Is there something I can do right now that would directly influence this outcome?

If yes: do that thing.

If no: your worry is not a lever. It’s just weight.

There’s power in distinguishing between:

• What is mine to act on

• What is mine to release

And releasing is not indifference. It’s wisdom.

When Worry Is a Signal

To be fair, worry isn’t always useless.

Sometimes it’s a signal:

• That something matters deeply to you.

• That a boundary needs to be set.

• That preparation is needed.

• That a conversation is overdue.

But once the signal is heard, staying in worry mode no longer serves you.

You don’t need to keep sounding the alarm after you’ve already woken up.

The Energy Equation

Energy is finite.

If you spend it:

• Replaying scenarios

• Anticipating disappointment

• Imagining outcomes you can’t control

You will have less of it when the moment actually arrives.

The real question becomes:

Do I want to arrive at this situation depleted, or steady?

Worry promises protection.
But calm clarity is what actually prepares you.

The Small Shift That Changes Everything

Instead of asking:

“What if this goes wrong?”

Try asking:

“If this goes wrong, what will I do?”

That subtle shift moves you from helplessness to capability.

It reminds you that even when you cannot control the outcome, you can control your response.

And that’s where your real power lives.

So … To What Degree Can You Change the Situation by Worrying About It?

Very little.

But you can change:

• Your mindset

• Your readiness

• Your emotional resilience

• Your next step

And often, that’s enough.

Because while worry rarely changes the situation ...

Intention, action, and grounded perspective often do.

—

If you’ve been carrying something heavy in your mind lately, maybe the invitation isn’t to think harder about it.

Maybe it’s to act where you can.

And gently let go where you can’t.