MENTAL DIET: HOW TO GAIN EMOTIONAL STABILITY (PART 8)

WORRY

“Every morning I spend fifteen minutes filling my mind full of God. When your mind is full of God, there is no room for worry. I fill my mind full of God every day and I have the time of my life all day long”

-HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY

You cannot change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.

An evaluation was carried out about worry and it revealed thus: Things that never happen-40%; Past things that can’t be changed by worrying-30%; Needless health worries-12%; Petty worries about unimportant matters-10%; Real legitimate worries-8% of which 4 percent are things about which nothing can be done and only 4% of the things that most people worry about can be changed.

The word worry is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or choke. When you engage in worry you strangle your power to change or positively influence the situation.

When you worry you choke your body’s immune system which makes you vulnerable to all kinds of illness, from cold and flu all the way up to life-threatening diseases and infections.

In fact, medical experts have asserted that worry gives birth to cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and ulcers and arthritis, headaches, skin disorders such as psoriasis, eczema and stress acne and a decreased immune response which can open up a person to even more illness.

Dr. George W. Crile reveals, “We fear not only in our minds but in our hearts, brains, and viscera that whatever the cause of fear and worry, the effect can always be noted in the cells, tissues, and organs of the body”.

A scientific expert on the length of life conducted a study of some 450 people who lived to be one hundred years of age. His studies revealed that this category of people lived long for the following reasons:

(1) They kept busy.

(2) They used moderation in all things.

(3) They ate lightly and simply.

 (4) They got a great deal of fun out of life.

(5) They were early to bed and early up.

 (6) They were free from worry and fear, especially fear of death.

(7) They had serene minds and faith in God.

Worry is meditating on the problem. Worry is a state of being overly concerned about the affairs of life; trying so hard to control people and situation. It is dreading about the possibility of negative or worst outcome. Worry means to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts, to feel uneasy, anxious or troubled or to torment with annoyances, cares or anxieties. Worry feeds on fear.

When your mind is dominated by faith thoughts-worry dies. When your mind is dominated with fear- worry becomes your master. The entrance of worry into the human mind is the exit of peace.

 When peace is eroded by worry, stress settles. Worry boosts stress level. Worry is a waste of mental energy and time. Worry has never solved any problem and never will it. There’s no gain in worrying but there is a pain in worrying.

Worry could be likened to sitting on a rocking chair. Sitting on a rocking chair is a stagnated motion; it takes you nowhere. Worrying is being busy but not effective. Worry is a fast-forwarded race to the grave. Worry robs the mind of clarity, accuracy, and creativity.

A worry-free life is a life that knows peace and ease.

DEALING WITH WORRY:

• To be free from worry begin by writing down all your worries and appraise or evaluate them; analyze it. See it for what it is.

• The next step is to determine the worst possible thing that could happen as a result of this situation. Write it down.

• After that tear the paper with all your worries and the worst possible outcome and throw it in a wastebasket.

• Then take a clean sheet of paper and write down everything good happening in your life that you are grateful for; count your blessings. Give thanks to your Creator for His blessings.

• Then write down the actions you can take to avert or minimize the worst possible outcome; focus on the solution.

• Get busy working on the solution; be proactive. Think boldly and Act boldly. Someone once said, “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”. Emerson counseled, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.”

I’m in love with Norman Vincent Peale’s worry treatment,

“Conceive of yourself as actually emptying your mind of all anxiety and fear. Picture all worry thoughts as flowing out as you would let water flow from a basin by removing the stopper. Repeat this slowly five times”, then add, “I believe that my mind is now emptied of all anxiety, all fear, and all sense of insecurity”. “Repeat that statement five times, meanwhile holding a mental picture of your mind as being emptied of these concepts. Then thank God for thus freeing you from fear. Then go to sleep.”

“Therefore, upon emptying the mind, practice refilling it. Fill it with thoughts of faith, hope, courage, expectancy. Say aloud such affirmation as the following: God is now filling my mind with courage, with peace, with calm assurance. God is now protecting me from all harm. God is now guiding me to the right decisions. God will see me through this situation.”

LET GO! LET GOD!

Trust God and live a day at a time. Remember, yesterday ended last night and today is a brand new day. Begin each day on a clean slate. When you awake in the morning, imagine or visualize that you are full of God and He is helping you.

Go into the day with God-consciousness and TALK POSITIVELY. Stay away from toxic people; people who have a negative outlook on life.

Don’t worry about the past, it is in the tomb. Don’t worry about the future; it is in the womb. You cannot do anything about the tomb and womb but you can do something about the NOW! Live in the present and maximize it and you sure will influence the quality of your future in the womb.

RESENTMENT AND JEALOUSY

Resentment is an attitudinal response to offense and hurt. Resentment is accumulated hurts due to offenses stored up in the heart that breeds suspicion and distrust. To easily forgive, never take grievance personally. Never cast blame of how you feel upon the action of another; rather take responsibility of how you feel your response is based upon your choice.

The trap of the blame game is not just blaming someone for past failure or experience but the continual blame for occurring failures and negative experiences. As the blame game intensifies, anger and resentment build up into a full-blown hatred.

Change the narratives of your life story; break the habit of replaying the storylines of grievances and offenses, replace it with the narratives of love, hope, and faith. Until you change the story of your life, you won’t experience the glory of the future.

Jealousy, on the other hand, arises from comparison and competition; wanting what the other person has and trying to “beat down” the person we perceive are better than us.

 Jealousy produces misery, it fosters strife and anger. Jealousy is a toxic emotion that is rooted deeply in the heart and it originates out of a deep sense of insecurity.

 The cure for jealousy is to recognize your uniqueness and inestimable worth and live with contentment. Until you are content, your destiny will be full of contempt. You must be contented with who you are; what you have and where you are on the journey of becoming more.