You know that worrying doesn’t solve anything, but it’s still an easy habit to fall into. Excessive, habitual worrying keeps your brain running around in circles. Often this puts you in fight-or-flight mode, which stresses your entire body—particularly your brain. Nearly 20 percent of adults struggle with anxiety disorders—what might be called worrying run amok. Chronic worrying can contribute to the development of psychiatric problems. When you worry, your brain produces more cortisol, a stress hormone, which can destroy brain cells and create memory and learning problems. But you can train your brain to think positively. Cognitive therapy emphasizes using positive thoughts to help you change your emotions. This helps the rational part of your brain (the cortex) get control over the irrational part (the limbic system). If you can think before you feel (or at least learn to think faster after you feel), you can reduce the amount of worry you experience. Going worry-free benefits your brain!