Are you a Worry Wart?

Many of us believe or think that when we worry about someone it means we care.  Many of us have learned this behaviour through watching others, especially if we have a parent or close relative who is a worrier.  For many of us it comes natural and it is what we do best, it is just part of who we are as a person because it is how we have learned to be.  My goal here is to help you understand what worry is and to teach you that if you want to - you can change.

In my previous posts I have talked about the mind/body connection. Take a moment and think about worry. When you are worried where in your body do you feel it?  I ask this question of my class attendees all the time.  Some say they feel worry in their stomach, some in their chest, others feel it as tension in their neck and shoulders.  Some will say 'yes' to all of the above!  Everyone is unique so you may feel worry in other areas of your body.  


When you are worried (even if you don't feel it) it causes tension in your body right down to the level of your cells. Your body is always reacting to your thoughts because it is wired to do that.  When you worry your body goes into stress mode, when this happens your cells react by going into a state of protection (freeze up) which can cause energy blockages in your body.  When we are calm and happy our cells are in a state of growth (healthy state) which means our energy is flowing.

Stop and think about this for a minute.  When I worry about myself or someone else are these thoughts helping them?  Are these thoughts helping me?  I hope you all answered 'NO'.  Worry is like praying for what you don't want!

What is worry?  Worry is your mind/thoughts focused on the worst case scenario of a situation.  It is Fear of the unknown.  Worry is a form of stress, and it comes from how you feel or think about things that are happening in your life, especially when life isn't going in the direction we planned or wanted.  


Why do we do this to ourselves?  For most of us it is habit and for many of us it is in our blood, it is what our ancestors have done for centuries.  Like anything that is no longer working for us we need to learn to change our old ways.  When you know better you do better!

Ways to Release Worry and re-wire your mind!

Just because you have always been a worrier, doesn't mean you have to continue to be one!  You can teach old dogs new tricks (admit it - sometimes your mind can be like an old dog with those habits)!  It just takes a bit of effort, but it is oh so worth it.   So allow yourself to find what works for you, we are all unique.  There will be times where one method will work for that time, and another method will work another time.  Take what fits for each situation and make yourself feel better!
   
   1. Flip your thinking   


When you 'flip' your thinking, the results start to change, you start to feel better, and remember no matter what happens in our lives it always works out somehow!  So how do you flip your thinking?


Identify the problem that is causing you to worry.  Now ask yourself a very simple question.  What do I want?  


When you ask yourself this simple question it changes the direction of your thoughts toward what you want and solutions.  It is easy to identify problems, we do it all the time.  But when we worry we stay 'stuck' on the problems instead of being open to solutions.  


   2.  Ask for some guidance


It doesn't matter what your religious/spiritual beliefs are just ask for that guidance.  I will often ask for a shift in my perceptions, and that can help me to shift my thinking to a more positive outlook.  I also find it helpful to ask my higher self connecting more at a soul level.  We do need to remember that we have all the wisdom within us, all we need to do it connect to it.


My experience here is that it really doesn't matter where you stand what it does is - it allows you to open up to receiving answers.  Sometimes we forget to ask for help, so simply asking and surrendering to receiving answers is very freeing.  


Be open to receiving those answers.  They may come in ways you are not expecting.  It can be in the words of a song speaking to you.  It might be a conversation with a friend, who mentions a book that they are currently enjoying.  They come in many forms, and the synchronicity of events can be miraculous.  If you remain open!


    3.  Meditation


Exercise for Meditation below...


Take 5 minutes to Still Your Mind 


Take some time and do some deep breathing.  When you deep breathe, it tells the body that everything is ok, so that it can restore proper functioning and blood flow.  This allows for the brain to get much needed oxygen and restore itself.  Just doing some deep breathing can do wonders for clearing the fog out of your head, so that you have clarity for what steps to take next...  In through the nose, out through the mouth.  Do this for as long as you feel you need to allow your body to relax itself.


Now allow yourself to still your mind and focus on peace.  If you had a peaceful mind what would that feel like?  What does peace feel like to you?  Allow yourself to connect to that place of peace within you. It is in there!  If you can't feel it - it simply means you have disconnected from it.  Get the connection back.  Do this for as long as it takes if you have the time.  It may take several attempts (even over several days) depending on how worried you are.  Practice this daily until you make the connection to peace within.  (For some of you this is very foreign and new - learning new skills takes practice, I promise you that it is worth the effort)  


If you were able to achieve the above and connect to peace within, take this next step.  Allow yourself to contemplate what a solution might feel like?  You may not have all the answers, but open your mind and just feel what it might feel like to have a solution that would make you feel better about the situation.  Is there something that you are resisting that might need your acceptance?