23 May, 2022
Watch out for worry thoughts
Our ability to think is quite a strange asset when you think about it. Humans are the only animals that possess such a well-developed brain that we can solve a variety of problems with our unique intelligence. This incredibly nifty faculty has ensured that we dominate every other species and nature as a whole. Our intelligent solutions are both morally bad and good, since we employ our intellectual minds just as easily for peace as for war. But in addition to intelligent thoughts with which we create both good and evil solutions, we also have not-so-intelligent thoughts: thoughts filled with worries.
Unpleasant
Worry thoughts never solve anything because that's not their job: they’re happy to just spin around in our head. When we have nothing to do the system of worrying kicks in and demands all our attention, causing unpleasant feelings such as fear, panic, stress, mistrust, anger or sadness. If we are not aware of this constant presence of worry thoughts, they start to weigh us down. We don't know exactly why… but we feel down, or less worthy, insecure, angry or sad.
Ego
Our worry thoughts are produced by ego. Ego wants to protect us from danger… but ego is actually a real drama queen and detects danger everywhere. For example, ego is happy to pester you with the idea that you might lose your job and that that would be the end of you. But is that really so? No, not if you look at it mindfully. Losing your job isn't great, of course, but you won’t drop dead instantly. So it's not a huge danger; even though it’s frightening, it still is something you can work out and solve. Once we understand how ego likes to scare us, we can look at its method soberly and not be dragged into endless circles of worrying.
Worry thoughts are harmless but highly intrusive. They demand all your attention. As a result, you don’t get to consciously experience and enjoy uplifting situations in daily life:
• Your child tells a funny story, but you don't hear it because you worry about your health.
• Your dog is happily playing in the park, but you don't see it because you are worrying about tomorrow's meeting.
• Your partner has cleaned up the house, but you don't notice because you worry about the groceries that still haven’t been delivered.
Head space
Worrying makes life difficult and monotonous as it focusses only on negativity in life, such as loss, regret, and scarcity. It stops you from noticing all those nice, positive and beautiful aspects of life. Mindfulness will help you break the pale habit of worrying, so that you can restore your life to its original colour. You will notice that you are less likely to panic, because you’ll learn to see that a little bit of mindful thinking can free you from worry thoughts. This will create head space to consciously see and experience small but beautiful situations. You will soon find that life is a lot more pleasant than you’d ever thought possible.
n Marisa Garau is a mindfulness expert who has lived in Mangawhai since 2007. Find more practical tips on how to de-stress your life at her website or flick her an email if you’d like to have a personal chat: marisa@growingmindfulness.com
