“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
– Arthur Somers Roche
This is a common theme everyone in life deals with, some worries are heftier than others and some are just passing through, but what if the smallest of uncertainties seem to make themselves the main character of our lives? Why does it take away the present and years off of our own lives?
It does not matter how big or small our worries seem to be; it matters how much we put importance on them and our attention to them. Luckily there is always a formula to solve each unique difficulty we may face in life, so let’s investigate and offer a solution to this problem of worrying.
(I added a scientific aspect of how it can impact our lives, here:)
https://www.verywellmind.com/worry-and-anxiety-impact-longevity-2223983
1. Take less attention off of the future
Worrying causes us to dive into something that has not yet existed, about the future that is constantly being created. The more we worry about the future the more we are taking away from the present moment, and in the present moment created the future. So paradoxically, when we worry about the future, we are giving in to our fear of it rather than taking control of the present and making the future how we want.
What does this mean? Take less attention off of the future and into the present. Therefore, lets us take charge of our future – we get to become the designer of our own lives instead of letting emotion run it through til it becomes a product of that – worrisome thoughts, actions, and words, and produce a worrying future.
If we’re never really present, then are we even experiencing true life? We must get out of our heads and into the world.
2. Schedule a plan from top to low priority
Sitting down and going through what is top priority to low priority and scheduling things that must be done takes away the worry… Sometimes it’s not as much as our minds dramatically make it out to be. Planning and scheduling take off a load of washing in our minds and we can fold it in an organized fashion and put it away, saving it for the day or time it needs to get done.
My mind does this thing where it thinks of the future, but then it goes further into the most precise details to come… For example, (I am going to study to become a horticulturist) but in my life, I do not know where I would live, where I want to do it, who I’ll meet if I’ll like the school if I’ll have enough time to travel, how I’ll make money, and so forth this is normal for our minds to go off years into the future, but the best way to prevent all of that is to live by the present and trust ourselves.
3. Trusting ourselves
Trusting ourselves to take control of our lives decreases our need to worry. On the matter of trusting ourselves, we might find this example more extreme, however, it is good to get a clear vision of what it may feel like: skydiving, we might be terrified of jumping at first, but since we have someone skilled, we take off the worry and trust the person we’re with. We can apply that to ourselves and helps us relax a bit. Then it becomes a whole new experience and we can enjoy it now. When we trust ourselves and the path we’re on, we will shift our mindset to see things brightly and more calmly and everything we do will lead up to where we need to go. Our minds don’t need to deteriorate into worry and fear, instead, we can find that focus and bring ourselves back. We are exactly where we need to be right now; the future is not here; we are constantly creating it every day within our minds and our responses to situations.
4. Meditation (in any form)
Find a meditation that works for us – that could be anything that guides us back into the present, where we are right now, and what we are doing. Breathing, walking, sit-down meditations, creative arts, and so forth we can put cues around us to remind us to bring us back into the present, such as little reminders on our phones, around our rooms, or just practice the art of breathing, breath is a portal to put us back into the present, it’s a gift.
This is our one chance at life, we are allowed to make mistakes until we get them right. No one truly has it all understood. Take the time to allow yourself to ease into trust and patience with the present, it will take you where you need to go, as long as you’re taking the steps towards it, even if it’s little progress it is still something because when we look back all of that little progress has to lead to bigger accomplishments in the long run.
I hope this caught your eye, and that you took action on the things that are worrying you. Remember that you’re not alone on this journey.
Neena xx
