"A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work." - Zig Ziglar.
This quote got me thinking about how have I reduced (yes, reduced, not stopped, I am human) my worrying about situations in my life?
I worry ..... a lot. I have since I was young. I worry about what might happen, what is happening and what did happen. I have a tendency to feel responsible for things that happen and I think a lot about the 'what ifs'.
Sometime ago I realised I had to change. Constantly worrying about the 'what ifs' and being stressed about situations just wasn't helping me live a happy life. I had come to not just learn but truly embrace the law of attraction. This knowledge made me realise that by constantly worrying and stressing I wasn't solving any of the problems or hurdles I possibly faced, I was in fact inviting, with open arms, more of the same situations!
I was attracting whatever I was worrying about! I wondered “How can I stop worrying?”
I knew as well as attracting more of what I didn't want my worrying was also making me miserable. Worrying never resolved the situation it actually magnified the negative affects of it.
Worrying had NO positive impact. NONE!!
So I knew I needed to stop worrying, but how? How can I stop worrying or at least reduce the amount I worry?
What I found challenging was the fact that whatever I was worrying about, whether it be - lack of money, a health issue, problems in a relationship, bills, job opportunities, children, whatever it was - it was real, it was happening and I couldn't avoid it. I had to deal with it, so how could I act 'responsibly' but stop worrying about the issue?
I learnt to do what I call 'compartmentalise' the issue. I'll talk more about this in a later blog. Put simply I put time aside to deal with the issue, for example if I was stressed about money I decided that I would open and deal with all bills on Mondays at 9.30, and outside of that time I did all I could to NOT think about bills. I stopped allowing one issue, one part of my life, to overrun my whole life. This helped immensely but I knew I needed to do more to change my underlying beliefs, thoughts and emotions which were fairly ingrained and which greatly influenced the energy I sent out into the world.
To change the way I thought I primarily did 3 things, all of which are so easy and you can do also. These 3 things are where I started , they are what I did initially and they have truly changed my experience and I would say my life! And the great thing is they are simple.
Practice Gratitude Daily - twice a day if you can, even throughout the day!! Notice and acknowledge what you have to be grateful for, even what you experience that you feel thankful for. Learn to acknowledge and show appreciation. If there is only one thing you change in your life make it this - practice gratitude!!!
Smile - make yourself smile as often as possible. Smile at strangers that walk by. Smile at family members as they walk into the room. Smile at the TV as you watch a show or a blog you are reading ;). Smile at the person serving you. Just smile!!!
Hear Your Thoughts - so many of our thoughts are sub conscious and we don't really listen to them. We don't 'hear' them. Be aware and listen to your thoughts, to what you are telling yourself, what you are feeding your mind. You want to feed your mind positivity.
Especially in the beginning of this journey I used affirmations and quotes from other people to do this, I often couldn't think of positive thoughts of my own, that is how ingrained my negative thought patterns and self talk was.
I love sharing positive words. If you don't know where to start, start with positive quotes or affirmations, see which ones resonate with you or suit your situation. Affirmations, when repeated, can really help shift negative thoughts and quotes help keep us on track and introduce us to new ways of thinking.
You actually have control over your thoughts. Feed your mind positivity and you will start to shift your negative thought patterns. Beware, the negative thoughts can be stubborn as they are familiar but be aware of the negative thoughts and consciously replace them. For example:
I am fat - I love and appreciate my body.
I hate my job - I am grateful for my job.
I never have enough money - I always have enough money.
I always have bad luck - Wonderful things happen to me.
The list could go on and on and is different for everyone but the concept is the same. When you think a negative thought don't just believe it, immediately, consciously, replace it with a positive thought, reach for a better feeling thought.
What you concentrate on or focus on you attract more of, so shift your focus to positive thoughts. What have you got to lose?
I know this can be challenging if you are facing difficult or stressful situations but it is completely doable. It is all about how you look at things and what you choose to focus on.
For now just do these 3 things and watch (or feel) your experiences change:
Be Grateful.
Smile.
Hear Your Thoughts - feed yourself positive thoughts.
You can do this and the rewards are definitely worth the effort.
So when you ask yourself “Can I stop worrying?” Please know he answer is yes!! Yes you can and even if you can’t stop it completely you can dramatically reduce the time and energy you spend worrying and that has a huge positive impact on your life.
Jodi Reeves