Worry: The Anti-Wellness Drug

 

Incessant worrying is not something that fits into a stress management lifestyle. The thing is that it doesn’t fix anything. It just gets or keeps us goin’ round in circles upset, nervous, stressed and basically, a wreck. 

As we spin the object of the worry around and around in our minds, we block our Life Force, add to our stress loads and disconnect from our bodies, from our wellness, from ourselves. We delude ourselves that our worry is helping to make things happen–oh it’s making things happen alright, but not the things we want!

One definition of worry is to: ‘give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.’

What strikes me about that definition? That worry is something we allow. Some may beg to differ on that, but it is something we allow even though it may be on a completely unconscious level. The key here to become Conscious of this habit in order to Change it.  In other words, with incessant worrying we Create this equation: worrying=giving your Power away to Create the things you do not want.

Worry and anxiety go hand in hand. As does worry with unhappiness, unease, nervousness,  depression, and bad moods. All adding up to worry contributing to a state of dis-ease.

 

Worry. It Does A Body No Good

 

According to an article on WebMD about the physical affects of worry, “the flight or fight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body as fuel. The hormones can also cause physical reactions such as difficulty swallowing, dizziness, fast heartbeat, dry mouth, fatigue, headaches, inability to concentrate, irritability, shortness of breath, nausea, nervous energy, trembling and twitching…”

Ooooooh, doesn’t that laundry list sound oh so good for us? Uhhhh NOT! Yet, day in and day out, we subject ourselves to daily punishment by recycling over and over redundant, worrisome thoughts about STUFF. A lot of it is in anticipation of what could go wrong, or regurgitating what did go wrong.

My downfall is worrying about running out of ahhhhhhh! TIME! It always seems like the clock jumps ahead some hours and then the mad rush begins to get to stuff on my list…unless I catch myself–I’m workin’ on that one. As the day wanes I’ve started to take note of my anxiety rising cause the day seemingly is getting away from me–so now when I recognize this I’ve begun to stop and take a deep breath. 

Doing that goes a lonnnnnng way in your attention to stress management. Nipping worry in the bud before it gets out of control and multiplies.

The other thing that incessant worrying contributes to is DownTalk with us brow beatin’ up on ourselves with harsh judgement and criticism all based on not measuring up to others, concerned with what others think.

How can you possibly go from survival mode to Thriving Mode in a constantly worried state?

You can’t.

 

Oh Geez, How to Stop The Cycle????

 

As a professed reforming worry-wort, I admit that it’s a bitch of a habit to delete from our internal mental programming. It sure is hard not to worry, especially when things all around us appear to be spiraling out of control. But in all the years that I allowed my mind to focus on worry, I realized there never were things NOT to worry about. You see, that’s the thing—worry is a raging river and when you allow it to take you on the white water rafts, there is no end. You just keep…worrying incessantly. And the thing about worry is that it doesn’t fix anything. It just gets or keeps us upset, stressed and ANXIOUS.

And EXHAUSTED.

There are no solutions either because you just can’t see them. And that’s because you’re so busy flying past them in the worry-boat. Absolutely blind and resistant to any other way of being…

Whenever you are looking to reprogram a habit, boy do the voices start blaring. Mine screams when I take a moment to reset: “WHAT STOP NOW, YOU’RE RUNNING OUTTA TIME, MOVE FASTER!” I’m learning not to listen to that Voice, stopping to reset for a moment or two helps my mind and body to chill and focus on what it is I’m doing. It brings me to The Present Moment and helps to slow my roll. 

It also makes me more efficient because I can focus on what I am doing as opposed to worrying about losing time and rushing to get the stuff done. And it adds Brownie Points for stress management!

Until you actually get tired of worrying, I mean seriously, it will make you sick and you will have all types of ailments you may not normally connect to worrying. But if you really stop to look, you can draw a straight line from that backache or headache to stress and worry (unless the issue has some physical reason of course). For some, worry seems to fill a need in the name of being vigilant, of making sure you’re safe. But that is just a smoke-screen, all worry does is make you worry more. And all that worrying breaks down your immune system.

How am I becoming less of a worry-wort? By implementing some of the steps and Knowing below. I got tired of how it made me feel and it wasn’t getting the results I wanted which were SOLUTIONS and to ratchet up my stress management game! 

How to break the hold you have on worry? Here’s 6 steps you can take:

1-First of all, you’ve got to be AWARE that you’re doing it

2-Pay attention to how you are feeling. That’ll tell you faster than anything in the beginning

3-Each time worry comes up, shift the thought. Worry is a very successful brand, it is soooooo consistent in its messaging, it always tells you the worst that can happen. Shift the thought, parry it with a better thought 

4Recognize that worry is not a pro-active verb. All the time, energy and angst that goes into it doesn’t solve one darn thing! Not ONE!

5-Remember that worry is the anti-wellness drug. If you are serious about Your Wellness and WellBeing, start to kick that be-otch to the curb!

6-Worry thoughts are like mosquitoes, they occur in droves. Like begets like—negative thoughts pull more negative ones, Positive Thoughts seek and invite more Positive Ones. It’s a Practice, shifting away from worrying but it can be done

Does it mean you’ll never worry about stuff? Nope. But what it does mean is that you’ll recognize you’re doing it and can put a stop to it. And if you are serious about stress management, you will get serious about worrying less about shit that you cannot control.

I have also found that Guided Meditation helps to reduce the habit.. Sitting down and taking DSCB (Deep Slow Conscious Breaths) really make a huge difference. It pulls the focus away from what you’re worrying about to grounding and centering yourself. When you do that, you can hear your Inner Guidance much more clearly.

Incorporating more Trust and raising your Expectations on what is possible on da Positive Tip as opposed to what’s the worst that can happen is a great habit to make friends with.

 

It’s A Process…

 

It will take time so be Patient. It is a Process. You have been worrying all of or for a good portion of your Life. Incorporating new habits takes the introduction of Awareness, New Thoughts, and the rewiring of your mind.

And don’t worry about worrying. That’ll only add on to the Worry Junk-Pile. Be kind to yourself and stop taking score. Little by little you will worry less and less. Getting to a place of Knowing that you are Guided keeps worry to a minimum.

Getting a handle on reducing worry goes a long way in your stress management toolkit.

Is shifting away from worry the same as denial? Nope. It is turning the wheel away from a head-on collision. You already know full well what your challenges and problems are, worry just keeps sounding the alarm bell with no fire truck in sight. Take deep, soulful breaths and do what politicians do, PIVOT! Works for them!! It will work for you! PIVOT from worry and insert a good feeling Thought. Breathe. Keep the Faith. Be open to the Solutions. They do exist.

To release your grasp on worry takes Awareness, Desire, Intention and Will-Power. You can do this, be vigilant. And again, be PATIENT. It is a Process. Show yourself Lovingkindness as you begin to take yourself out of the white water worry raft…

 

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Holla back, I welcome your comments and thoughts.

 

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WELL-BEING RESOURCES:

Check out my guided meditation videos to help you reduce stress and anxiety. They are also offered in audio form with a choice of 5-6 minutes and a longer deeper session for about 30 minutes. You can also order custom guided meditation audio tailormade to fit your needs. And keep in mind my StressBusters Guided Meditation sessions to book in-person or virtual.

For more ideas, tips and How-To’s on getting your Zen Zone Mojo happnin’ and to reduce stress, anxiety, anger, depression as well as increasing Mindfulness and Awareness, there are an array of stress and anxiety relieving products and services as well as events to check out on my site.

 

 

Thank you for being here, won’t you share this blog with a friend, family member and/or colleague? 

 

Jacquie Bird, Spiritual Wellness

Your Wellness Guide

 

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