How to Stop Worrying

Do you find that one thought gets resolved only to be replaced shortly later by another one?

Sometimes you can tell yourself, "If I have a good doctor's checkup, I'll be so relieved I won't worry about anything small ever again." Then the next day you find yourself caught up in a different apprehension such as the concern that it will rain on Saturday when there is the baseball picnic.

The mind is very tricky and can replace one worry with another one instantly!What can we do about this?

First of all remember that each day there are situations that will not go your way or that are up in the air and cause tension. This is the nature of things. We anticipate and think about the future which is not yet determined, so there is always an unknown factor.

Sometimes thinking of an extreme person you know who is a "worry wart" can be useful. Everyone knows someone who is constantly tense about each successive event. This is a possible train of thought someone has: "Will we get a parking spot at the beach? What if the car is broken into? Maybe we are out in the sun too long and will burn. What will we do since we didn't bring water and there's no concession stand?"

When you find yourself in a series of similar cascading thoughts and worries, step back and watch your mind. Are you able to enjoy the moment you are in? Do these agitations seem to have a life of their own? 

When we look at someone else we can see how excessive this is and that it stops the person from participating in their current experience. Think about your own situations that you worry about and see if you can let go of some of the anxieties and if you can enjoy what life presents to you rather than trying to control every outcome. It is good to exercise control when there are choices and you can make a difference. But in situations where you can't, an attitude of relaxation, humor and intelligent action is the best approach.

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