“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”
- Corrie ten Boom
Problems can make you wish you weren’t born. Repeated tragedies can make you wish you never existed; money worries can get you sick of life already. Life is full of ups and downs, they say, but when the downs seem to be non-stop, you tend to worry. You just sit there, day in, day out and worry about your problems. You would feel like nothing matters anymore. But the truth is, something still does – YOU. You still matter because you are still alive. The things you do and think matter. Worries will definitely not solve your problem.
The deep feeling of unease and fear that courses through our body, as we sit predicting the fearful outcomes the future will bring us, is what intense worrying feels like. It’s a very nauseating and physically uncomfortable state of being, and yet most of us live the majority of our waking hours in this manner.
Why We Worry?
Most of us worry without any conscious control, almost on auto mode. If we look at the bare facts, these are reasons why we worry:
- Because we are never certain about what our future will bring us.
- Worrying almost becomes a means of keeping the mind occupied while it waits for the future to arrive.
- When we find that we are not in a position to take any concrete action, we allow ourselves to worry out of habit.
- Our mind is conditioned to keep doing something or other, it can never rest or relax, so if it can do nothing about a situation it will just worry about it.
The bottom line is that we worry when we are not sure of what our future will bring us. People who worry a lot are in the habit of dreaming up a fearful future. Then they hold on to this negative future projection and worry about it.
Should you need to overcome your worries and move on to success, be sure to use these helpful tips:
1. Talk Your Worries Out
A Problem shared is a problem half-solved; so you can share your burden with someone you trust. But I do understand that sometimes the problems seem so big, you might feel you can’t risk telling anyone; still, share it with your Divine Creator. You can’t continue to carry the burden all by yourself. It’s way too heavy, so let someone help relieve it. Let someone help your mind be at peace.
2. Favorite Your Worries Out
What do you love to do most? – listening to the radio? Reading? Writing? Watching TV? – in short, anything that makes you be at ease is worth doing in your sad moments. Worries won’t help but your favorites can help you lighten your mood and give your mind the much needed rest from all that worry.
3. Walk Your Worries Out
A certain saying goes this way: An idle mind is a devil’s den. It’s quite obvious the reason you worry is because you’ve grown idle; it’s high time you put your thoughts into something else. At work you can try to concentrate on work, and on weekends you need not work yourself to death all in the name of getting over worries – you can stroll out. Take in the natural sunshine and beautiful energy from the natural world around you. I personally love to watch the butterflies flutter about as I go for my strolls. Get immersed in that beauty….worries will fade away into that natural stroll.
4. Laugh Your Worries Out
Who is your favorite comedian? I mean the one that make you laugh to the extent you cry. Maybe that person isn’t a comedian after all. Maybe they were designed for their friend’s sake. Do you know anyone of such? – that makes you feel like the most important person in the world when they are around you. Their presence means a lot to you so you can do yourself a favor and go stick to them. The feel good factor will rub off on you eventually.
5. Visit a Hospital
When you were young, if not now, did you feel awkward every time your parents came up with the idea of visiting a hospital? – why? – because you get to see so many people worry? – because you will get to see a lot of people suffering in pain? – because you get to see many people crying for their loved sick ones? Yeah, I know the feeling. Checking out a busy hospital can help you skip your worries. You will get to see real bigger problems; only then will you realize that tragedies happen and that your problem is far, far smaller than many of the tragedies happening in that Emergency room. It brings back perspective within. It helps us understand, that problems are a part of life. How we handle them is what makes us, or breaks us.
6. Help Someone Out
If you want to be happy forever, see to that others are happy too. It sounds straight and simple but many still seem to miss that point; perhaps they are being adamant. If you want your problems to be solved, help others solve theirs. There is a sense a satisfaction that comes from helping another human being…that can’t be matched. Your worries in that moment of satisfaction seem so, so small.
In a nutshell, give up the control which you don’t really have and you will stop worrying. If you try to stop worrying, your mind will worry more but if you just understand the truth of life deeply then the mind just relaxes and lets life be.
The secret to stop worrying, is to do what you can and leave the rest to The Divine. At a deeper level you realize that the “I” that is so terrified of what life will bring about does not really exist as anything other than a thought or idea. Of course when you do realize this you also become enlightened.
*Photographs credit spaceodissey
About the author:Zeenat Merchant Syal - is the founder and writer of Positive Provocations, which features writing on positive thinking through healing the Mind, Body, Heart & Soul. She holds degrees in, and practices counseling psychology, motivational psychology, spiritual counseling, motivational speaking, holistic health and naturopathic medicine. Zeenat Merchant Syal is a spiritual traveler by passion, an eternal student and researcher in the school of life and all of its realities, including the fields of metaphysics and New Age thinking.
5 Comments to “6 Simple Ways to Overcome Your Worries”
Worry is something that happens when we are entering a new and uncharted territory. I don’t worry much these days because it doesn’t help me, it actually just creates a vicious circle of self destruction.
Hi Zeenat,
It’s true. Worries do not solve our problems. Only by taking creative and decisive actions can we resolve the problems we face and remove the source of our worries once and for all. But there are times where there is really nothing we can do to address the problem and I am glad you have bought up 6 simple ways to deal with these times. Here are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I read them.
I think the main theme of all your points is to use the energy that we use to worry in more constructive ways. In truth, worrying consumes a massive amount of energy. I can sleep the whole day when I worry and still feel tired. By using the energy that we use to worry in more positive ways, we manage our worries better.
The main reason I always focus on the solution and not the problem is because I want to do everything I possibly can to manage a situation. After I have expended myself completely and I still do not get the results I yearn for, then it was really not meant to be.
Thank you for sharing this lovely article! :)
Irving the Vizier
While #2 was my “favorite” #6 is the one most guaranteed to help, in my opinion. During some of my roughest times, if I just started helping someone else, I got through my difficulties so much better. The Dalai Lama said, “If you want to make others happy, practice compassion. If you want to make yourself happy, practice compassion.”
I also appreciate how all your suggestions move us away from our worries is such positive ways. Great tips.
Hi Zeenat. Wow, this is a much needed post for most of us. I learned to worry from my Mom who probably learned it from her mother…sort of works that way, as we do learn our coping methods from close family when we are very young. I try to catch myself worrying and step out of my little self into my bigger self–the one that has nothing to worry about! I also tell myself that all the things I worried about in the past are over. Some happened and some didn’t—-and everything is just fine so far! But, you are right…it only sours the present and it does not help the future. Great post—thanks!
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