Worrying is like praying for what you don’t want

A confession: I have suffered from worry sickness for what seems like my whole life. Even in the face of overwhelming positive evidence to the contrary, my thoughts still have a tendency to conjure up the worst-case scenario in many situations. The difference these days is that, when worrying thoughts arise, I recognise them for what they are so that they no longer have such power over me.

The key to working with worrying thoughts is not to try and get rid of them – good luck with that! Even when you are going through a challenging time and life feels out of your control, there is still nothing to be gained by worrying.

Here are a few ways I have found effective in dealing with the tyranny of worry:

1. We’re all doomed! Is that true?

When you have a worrying thought, stop and take a deep breath. Ask yourself, “Is this true?” Whether the answer is yes or no, ask yourself, “Do I absolutely know that it’s true?” At this point the worrying thought will almost certainly begin to fall apart. Most of them don’t bear up under scrutiny.

2. I still feel a nameless dread

You have established that the worrying thought is almost certainly not true, but you are left with an uneasy feeling.

• Close your eyes, take a deep breath and identify where in your body you are feeling uneasy.
• Say to yourself, “It’s only energy.”  And all energy wants to do is move.
• Staying in touch with where you feel uneasy in your body, get a sense of where the energy wants to move. Up, down, sideways – it will want to move somewhere. If it stays put, encourage it to move by gently massaging the area.
• As it starts to move, get a sense of where it would like to exit the body. When you find out where it wants to leave your body – your hand, the top of your head, your feet, wherever – then allow it to flow out.
• When you feel the energy has all moved out, return to the place you originally felt uneasy and see if the feeling is still there. If so, repeat the process until you feel calm, light and balanced.

3. Lose your mind

Many of us become imprisoned by worrying thoughts and can’t see beyond them. If you feel stuck in your head, try this simple exercise.

• Focus your awareness on your head and simply allow yourself to wallow in all these worrying thoughts. Let them have their say – don’t try to silence them. Accept them for what they are.
• When the noise in your head has quietened, sit in a comfortable place and close your eyes.
• Take a deep breath and drop your awareness down into the area of your heart.
• Say quietly to yourself: “I am heart.” While resting your awareness in your heart, see if you can have a worrying thought. If you do, you’re not in your heart.

So the bottom line is, as Bhagavan Das once said, that worrying is like praying for what you don’t want. Focusing on imaginary scenarios might even attract the very thing you don’t want to happen. Of course, if you’re the worrying type like me, you’re not going to stop worrying overnight but it really is worth challenging some of your thoughts. Do you really deserve a life sentence in the Prison of Worry?