Do You Worry?

Image by John Hain from Pixabay 

                “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”                                   - Corrie Ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook

It is easy to find something to worry about, even in the best of times, if you are a chronic worrier. And these days there are many unknowns that can fuel worry. Worry is most fueled by concerns about what might happen. And it thrives on fear and anxiety. 

What does worry do for you? It doesn't relieve fear and anxiety. The only thing helpful to do, if you worry, is to use it to motivate you to address the concerns. Ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that could happen?" And then, "What can I do to prevent that or minimize the effects?" Create a plan.

If your worrying doesn't lead to action on your part, it is a pointless activity. Usually what helps most is to address the way you think about the concern. Explore how you can change it. If you truly can't do anything to change it happening, the only thing that will help is to change the way you think of it. Control your thoughts to make you more proactive rather than reactive, you will overcome the worry.

- “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”

- “No amount of regretting can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future.”― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

-

Are You a Worrier?

What do you worry about? There are always things you could worry about. Some folks are experts at creating worries, of things to fear. And it can become a habit to worry all the time.

However, it is exhausting. Why not let go of the things your can't change and change the things you can. How do you know the difference?

Most worries are self-made. We worry about what "might" happen, about the "what-if's" we create in our mind. What if people don't like me. What if I'm not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, etc.?

These thoughts can keep you from doing or being who you are, the real you. Some spend so much energy worrying that they make choices based on the "what-if's". If you are one of these folks you won't be your real self, or even know your real self.

Your inner critic can keep you from trying new things. And when that is the case you can end up with regrets that take over your life. When you function with accumulated regret you end up with all your gifts inside.

Everyone has gifts, or talents, things that you could do well. But that inner critic can convince you that you aren't good enough, you aren't deserving, you will fail if you try. And if you fail, you give greater weight to the belief that you can never succeed. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Listen to your self-talk. What does your inner critic tell you that gets in the way of being your most alive and actualized self? What is your relationship with worry? What might you regret later that you chose not to do because of focusing on the what-ifs?

Confront the what-ifs. Explore them. What if people don't like you? What could you do about that? What's the worst thing that could happen if they didn't like you? How would you handle that? How important is it that people like you in this situation? This is not constructive worrying.

Constructive worrying is only when it is within our control and empowers us to act. For instance, "I worry that I won't have enough money to pay for the rent.." This is within your control. You can do without something else to pay the rent. Or you can arrange with the landlord to pay half now and half later. Or you can move to something cheaper. While you may not like those choices, you at least have choices.

On the other hand, if you are worried that your landlord won't like you, no matter when you pay, there is really no way to change someone else's preferences. Can you see the difference? 

What are the "what if's" that hold you back from being your best, realistic self?

>What if I'm not good enough?
>What if I'm not ready?
>What if I am not attractive?
>What if I don't know what to say/do?

Can you turn those worries into more useful concerns? Can you just wonder instead of worry? "I wonder if I'm good enough?" Then explore what is needed for you to be good enough and realistically examine what you can do to be "good enough."

https://www.yocom/watch?v=d-diB65scQUutube.

I Can't Sleep!

Having a sleepless night is unusual for me, at least these days. I've had plenty of times when I couldn't sleep, but that hasn't been a problem recently. So what's the deal?

I couldn't seem to discipline my mind to stop worrying about this and that. Worry isn't my natural state. But this night I'm worried about our country and the direction it is taking, or at least the direction our new administration is taking.

I've other worries, too. But that's the biggie, the one I don't sense I can do anything about. And usually if I can't do anything to fix a problem I let it go and focus on other things. That's just not happening this night.

I feel like I'm caught up in the middle of a storm, a destructive storm. What can I do? What would I do in a weather storm. Hunker down and wait for it to pass. But this seems like a really BIG storm that will last a long time and wreak havoc around us all. I don't think stocking up on canned food and bottled water is going to work.

Am I the only one who feels this way? I know that my fears are probably unrealistic in the short term, at least. But our Ship of State is changing direction. Big ships turn slowly, so we have some time to correct course. But once committed to a turn it isn't easy to turn back. So we need to do what we can to get back on course, the sooner the better.

If you are concerned about how things are going, make your concerns known. Make Noise! Call your legislators, write letters, participate in protests, start/sign petitions. Run for office. Get involved. Together we could turn this ship around.

Let's take a course of compassion for those in need and investment in truth tellers. Support the mainstream media. We are doomed without a free press. Demand accountability.

O.K., I'm stepping off my soap box and going to bed, hopefully to sleep!

Let me know how you plan to help us get on course.