Awakening means that you start to notice the worrier. You catch yourself worrying. You are no longer identified with the worrying self. This means that you can decide how much power and attention you are going to give to this part of you.
As a human being, you already know what it means to worry. Usually it shows up as an ongoing fear that a future outcome will not turn out the way you expect. This fear then turns into obsessive and repetitive thinking, which is commonly known as worry. I like this little saying, “If there’s something you can do, then it makes no sense to worry about it. And if there’s nothing you can do to help the situation, then it makes no sense to worry about it.” In other words, there’s either something or nothing that you can do. Either way, it makes no sense to worry.
One of the things worrying does to get its grip on you is it pretends to be necessary. Somehow, usually in a clever way, worrying deceives you into thinking that you need it. It leads you to think that if you can just worry about this situation enough, it will turn out the way you want it to. The truth is that worrying does nothing to help or improve any situation. It is not necessary. That’s why I call it a false friend.
Think about it. Has worry ever helped you? Has it ever delivered? What has been a positive result of worry in your life? You won’t find anything. Yes, maybe you acted to improve a situation because of a nagging sense of worry, but it was the action not the worry that improved the situation. If you honestly investigate, you will see that worry hasn’t done anything.
Always keep this in mind: Worry does nothing to help or improve any situation. It is not necessary. It shows up in the disguise of a helpful or supportive presence, and if you look clearly at it, you see that it does nothing to help or protect you, but in fact it only reminds you of your fears and blinds you from the safety of what is.
Einstein said, “You cannot solve a problem at the level that created the problem.” Just like the law of floatation was not discovered by the contemplation of the sinking of things, you must rise above the level of the problem to solve the problem. That means letting go of worry.
What about intuition? Sometimes I just get the sense that there’s something wrong. Does this mean ignoring that also?
There’s a difference between worrying and trusting that inner voice of wisdom. You know, that still, small voice that directs you from a place of deep certainty, confidence, and love. The authentic wisdom that arises in the hear is distinguishable from the fearful, worrying voice that speaks mostly in “what if’s” and “woulda,” “coulda,” “shoulda.”
In other words, there’s a difference between authentic care and worry. Care comes from the heart. It’s that loving energy which is free from the anxiety ridden, fearful, obsessive, and unceasing mind pattern called worry.
Of course, that’s easier said than done because worry sneaks up on you. I have a mortgage to pay, car payments to make, and I don’t have the money. My car is probably going to be taken away from me. How do I keep from worrying?
Again, I believe a more important question is, “Why worry?” Yes, you are in a challenging life situation, but what is worry going to do to help you with this? Life is full of challenges. Worry turns a challenge into a problem, and adds additional stress to the situation. You have a choice. You can focus on all of these things that need to be done and all of these demands that life is bringing to your doorstep, and worry about them. Or, you can redirect all of the energy that was going into worrying into action.
Does awakening free a person from worry?
Awakening means that you start to notice the worrier. You catch yourself worrying. You are no longer identified with the worrying self. This means that you can decide how much power and attention you are going to give to this part of you. If you have seen the truth that worrying does nothing for you, you can accept that the worrying thoughts that are coming up for you, recognizing that that’s part of being human, and then have compassion for that aspect of your humanity. You can then let it go.
Sometimes it feels like my worrying gains momentum and this makes it very difficult to stop.
Yes, worry tends to be repetitive. It goes around in circles, over and over again, thus gaining a certain energy or momentum. There’s actually a spiritual practice that uses this same power of repetition to create a momentum of its own. It’s called, mantra meditation. It can be a powerful practice in freeing you from the grip of incessant worry. It involves choosing a sacred word or symbol and repeating it to yourself, usually internally. Over and over again, you focus your attention on this sacred word or symbol. Just as repetitive negative thoughts feed worry, repetitive spiritual focus feeds peace. Christian centering prayer is a powerful practice that works this way
This practice can be used in a way of changing your mind, and quite literally influencing the vibration of your thinking patterns. It helps you tune into the intelligence that is not resonant with the vibration of worrying, that which resonates at a higher level—at the level of creativity, intuition, and inspiration.
Is there a particular mantra to get a habitual worrier to stop worrying? How do you correct years and years of worrying patterns?
I appreciate mantras that reflect the essential kindness of the universe. It may be a word phrase that reminds you of the basic goodness that exists all around you as the ground of your being. It may just mean affirming that you are ok, and that everything is going to be ok. Sometimes it means repeating a sound that has a particular vibration such as Om or Hu.
As far as correcting years of worrying patterns, there’s something to be said about conditioning and karma. For many of us, our human conditioning is multi-generational. It’s a pattern that is inherited aspect of your particular body-mind.
So, why worry? We worry because we’re conditioned by our karma and our habitual mind patterns. This is part of being human. Further, we worry because we care. This care creates fuel for the incessant, directionless, purposeless mind-activity that is called worry. Again, the answer to the question, Why worry? Is: Don’t! There’s nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be okay. In fact, it’s already okay. Reality exists in a natural state of okayness forever.. So, “Why worry” means, don’t worry. And most importantly, don’t worry about your worrying. It’s okay. Let it go.
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