Worry creeps upon me slowly. It starts out with a small disturbing
thought. Or I read about the death of some
well know person and then I notice my mind becomes tuned in to my own health.
Then I become increasingly aware of my physical symptoms. And my mind
begins to wonder “what was that pain? What if it wasn’t a muscle pull? And on
and on it goes.
Anxiety certainly can do a number on the mind. But anxiety is part
and parcel of being alive. All of us have “ultimate concerns” that we confront
daily; things like death, isolation, meaningless and freedom.
‘Worry’ however is anxiety gone ‘bad.’ This type of anxiety
becomes unhealthy when it intrudes into our daily thoughts and life.
Recently death has become a conscious reality with my dad’s
terminal illness; every day he lives, is a blessing that we can be with him one
more day. So I am confronted with this human condition of mortality.
But if left unchecked, anxiety turns to worry and worry
turns to despair; one definition of worry is "an incessant goading to the point
of despair."
In
my past confrontation with worry, it traveled along a predictable path towards
a severe anxious state. But in the last several years, I have been able to pull
out before despair took root.
Below
are 3 steps that have helped me decrease ‘worry’ recently. Maybe these can help
you also if worry interferes with your daily life:
1. Contemplate:
Pick a comforting phrase, one of my favorites is “this too shall pass” and contemplate on it throughout the day. Write
it on a post-it note and put it somewhere you can see it.
Or
find a passage of scripture when worry intrudes your mind. I look up the words of Jesus on
the subject of worry such as: "Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own."
2. Laugh: Worry
cannot coexist with laughter. Find a funny movie or visit with people you enjoy
being around and can laugh with. Loosen the grip of worry by enjoying a funny
moment, and soon worry will dissipate.
3. Roll with it: Instead of trying to fight off the troubling
thought, roll with it. Allow it to come, identify what it is and then let it
go. The thought doesn't hang around long enough for worry to get a foot hold.
It comes-I acknowledge it and it goes.
Worry
robs all of us from living-fully in the moment. It robs me of my ‘presence’ in
relationships, like my dad, who needs me during this time.
In
times of worry or in times of happiness, moment by moment, peace can be ours.
Just ask and receive.
