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 worrying feels like. It’s a very nauseating and physically uncomfortable state of being, and yet most of us live majority of our waking hours in this manner.
Why Do We Worry?
Most of us worry without any conscious control, almost on auto mode. If we look at the bare facts, the below 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.
Effects of Worrying
When you are in the habit of constant worrying it leaves little space for any creative solution to come through.
Obsessive worrying is very stressful and leads to bodily harm. Diseases like nervous disorders, heart problems and constipation are precipitated more in people who are continually stressed out because of their habit of worrying.
Complications of worrying
A few other complications that arise out of worrying are as follows:
Sleeplessness – Most people start worrying the moment they hit their bed because they have nothing else to do till they go off to sleep. But worrying keeps the mind stimulated and hence you will feel sleepless. Thinking negative thoughts while in bed leads to disturbed sleeping patterns and lack of deep sleep.
Lack of concentration – It’s difficult to concentrate on the task at hand when you are worrying about the future. Most people who worry too much are usually under-performers and there is a lack of quality in their work output.
Health issues – Constant worrying can give rise to a host of health related problems. These generally include a poor appetite, indigestion, constipation, headaches, bad sleep, lethargy, itches, colds, wheezing, coughing to name a few.
Lack of clarity – Repetitive thoughts bog down the mind which in turn leads to a lack of clear thinking. When all your focus is on the problem, you often times miss out on the solution at hand.
Here’s How To Stop Worrying
If you are in the habit of worrying obsessively, it can be quite a task to break out of the habit. What is needed is your deep resolve to break through this addiction. If you make worrying into a part of your personality, there is no hope of getting over it.
Here are a few simple pointers that will guide you towards the truth of life, and help you stem the habit of worrying at its root.
1.) Future can never be predicted, so quit trying
People who deeply realize this truth of life, live in surrender to what is.
They don’t try to predict the future, they just make some practical plans and leave the rest to destiny.
The more you try to control the more you will suffer. Worrying serves no purpose at all except to make you feel ill at ease.
2.) Live by the moment
There is no reality to the images you create in your mind about the future. Look back on your life and see how many things you worried about really happened. In most cases, it will be none.
The only moment which is under the influence of your control is the present moment. Rest in the now and see how beautiful life is.
3.) Understand deeply that the mind is not in control
Life is a flux, it keeps moving.
Worrying is the mind’s means of pretending as if it’s in control. It’s only pretense, because there is no truth to it.
Your mind thinks that it’s steering this car called life but that’s just a laugh. When you deeply realize that life is not controllable, you let go of the need to resist or worry. You let life happen knowing fully well that it will give you the resources to deal with any situation which arises.
In a Nutshell..
In a nutshell, give up the control which you don’t really have and you will stop worrying.
If you forcibly ‘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 destiny. 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 become enlightened.
