Worry

Usually, we worry because we are fearful something bad might happen or has already happened. We act as though nothing can be done to improve the current situation. However, our worry most times does very little or nothing to improve the current situation.

You have just lost a job and so many pictures begin to arise in your mind. Thoughts of how you might wake up in the coming days and have nothing to eat or money to meet your most basic needs. You are torn between either calling those in your circle to complain and wail about the current situation and how life has been unfair to you, how your kids might have to stop schooling, how you gave that job all your best, your boss yet being unfair to you still chose to throw you out, or you can choose to move on, seeing the current situation as an opportunity to try new challenges, explore new areas and deploy your skills yet untapped.

Worry keeps our eyes only on the current situation depriving us of the joys of that moment. We lose interest in things that should usually make us happy, we lose interest in our relationships, sometimes we even lose appetite. We thereby keep ourselves at this disadvantage as long as the period of our worries last. This comes with a lot of inactivity because no progress is made at achieving set goals during this period.

How do you overcome worry?

First, you must know that things will not always go as planned. There are bound to be obstacles that disrupt our plans which we require us to re-strategise, re-group and create a new action plan. So when you hit a road block, instead of resorting to worry:

1.  Talk to a mentor/friend/senior colleague. This shows the importance of surrounding ourselves with like-minds. People who are not only there to discourage you but who are willing to share your burden and make you see another portion of the picture you have glossed over. There is no doubt you are limited by the information you have about what you are going through, so talking to your mentor or friend can make you see something else you have not thought about in dealing with the issue at stake. It can also be an opportunity to get expert-advise. You might even be referred to someone who could directly be of help.

2. Pray. Yes, Pray!
There is a quote I grew up seeing - 'Why Worry When You Can Pray'. Prayer helps us connect to God - at least in our mind, not as though God has not been there all time - to get the burden off our neck and also get a fresh breath of the assurance of His love. This will make us conscious of the fact that we are not alone and that God is aware of all that seem to bother us. I find this excerpt of the popular hymn very helpful:

O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry,
Everything to God in Prayer.

So when next you encounter a roadblock, choose to pray, choose to cast the burden over to God. That circumstance only wants to steal your joy!

3. Consciously develop a positive attitude towards obstacles. You have to treat  every challenge as a test of your tenacity. You can choose to let the challenge plummet you or you attack it as another work-over.

Next time you face a difficult challenge, choose not to worry. It will only deprive you of the opportunity to relish every moment of your life.

You have other ways of dealing with worry? Drop it in the comment section!

Image Credit: kcm.org