Turn Toward the Light
Worry – a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.
So why do we worry? We worry because we think something bad will happen or could happen. We worry because we get overwhelmed and cannot handle the situation at hand. We worry because it distracts us from the pain of helplessness. We worry because we don’t feel prepared. We worry because we are anxious or apprehensive about the future. We worry as an attempt to problem solve something that either isn’t really a problem or isn’t a problem that is solvable. We worry about not being prepared. And – unfortunately there is no shortage of things to worry about.
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.
Swedish Proverb
How can we stop our worrying ways?
- Set aside a designated “worry time”.
- Write your worries down – create a Worry Diary or Worry Journal.
- Be mindful – acknowledge your worries, let your worries go, stay focused on the present, repeat daily.
- Talk about your worries – build a strong support system.
- Learn to relax through the use of meditation, yoga, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation.
- Distract yourself from worry with activities that bring you joy or happiness or where you get a sense of achievement.
You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.
Dan Millman
On the flip side though, there can be a definite purpose to our worrying, a purpose that is not destructive or futile.
We worry to draw our attention to the fact that there’s something we maybe should be doing or preparing for or preventing, and it gives us the motivation to do something about that. Worry prompts us to do something that might be inconvenient, but protective. Worry makes us prepare. Worry tells us a situation is serious and keeps it prominent in our mind so that we can take action. Worry can serve as an emotional buffer; bracing for the worse can actually dull bad news and make good news feel even better.
Worrying the right amount actually is better than not worrying at all.
Now if we could only figure out what the right amount of worry is, right?
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
Benjamin Franklin
Like the timing of a flower blossoming, everything happens in its own time. May we have moments where worrying ceases and we are aware enough to enjoy the blossoming process more.
Smile, breathe, and go slowly.
Thich Nhat Hanh