Are you a worrier? Do you spend a lot of your time in worry? For many of us, this is a detrimental habit. Worrying never has a positive effect on you, it only leads to being upset emotionally, and can cause physical problems as well.
A chronic worrier is at higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches, and many other physical side effects. Many people who worry constantly may also have eating problems, as they might not eat enough, or they might be eating too much to numb there worries.
People who worry all the time may have difficulties sleeping a night. Worrier's tend to think about all of their worries at night, which will keep them from getting that important sleep that they need for good health.
Worrying can cause a person to use drugs or alcohol to get away from their problems. They also have a higher rate of depression than people who do not worry all of the time. This just exacerbates their problems, which leads to more worrying.
If you are a worrier and want to stop this negative practice, you need to understand that it will take some time to reverse your "worry" thinking, but it can be done. I know it can because I used to worry all of the time, and now I am much better because of the mindfulness training I have had in the past ten years.
I have written about many of the tools that have helped me stop the chronic worrying. One of those tools has been the book "The Four Agreements". I have talked about this book multiple times, and this conversation leads me back to it once again.In Don Miguel Ruiz's book, one of the four agreements is, "Do not Assume". When we assume what might happen, or what someone is saying or doing, we make up situations in our head that most of the time are not true. Most of our assumptions tend to be negative as well, which always amazes me. Why don't we assume in the positive vein instead of always fearing the worst?
Assuming the worst will happen, will always add to our worry list. When we worry, our bodies do not know the difference between what is going on in our minds, and what is real. If we worry that someone will break into our house, our bodies feel that fear as if someone really did break into our house. What a waste of emotion and time to put ourselves through something that hasn't happened.
Another tool for worrying is to meditate. Now if you have been reading my blog from the beginning, you know I have talked about the healing effects of meditation numerous times. As you know meditation is a way to calm and center ourselves. If you are a worrier, this is a great practice to get yourself into a better frame of mind.
Mindfulness training is another way to stop your worrying. Be "mindful" of your thoughts. Remember that you are the one that is in charge of what you are thinking at all times. If you are having worrying thoughts all day long, it is you that is having them, and that means it is you that can change them.
With approximately 60,000 thoughts going through your mind a day, wouldn't it be better if you were aware and in control of those thoughts? You can be by being conscious of them. When you find yourself in a worry thought, ask yourself if it is true. Most of the time it is not. Switch this worry thought to another thought that you know is true, a thought that feels good.
Why worry about things that have not happened? This kind of thinking never is beneficial to anyone. We all have things that happen in life that are difficult and hard, but worrying about them before they happen makes no sense. Deal with those life situations when they are actually there. Before that, they do not exist, and do not need to occupy your mind.
So if you worry too much, begin to use the tools I have spoken about in this blog. You can change this negative and bad habit, and begin to live life without all the worry. Worrying is normal from time to time, but if it is a constant thing that you do, choose to have it be a thing of your past. Choose to think positively and be healthy of mind, body, and spirit!
Till Tomorrow,
Queenie
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