I am a
worrier. I first heard this term when I was in Standard 3 in an English lesson.
Our teacher asked us to put up our hands if we were worriers. I thought she
meant ‘Warriors’, my LDS thinking kicking into gear I gallantly stuck my hand
right up into the air and carved a valiant ‘I’ with my finger. Then she
explained what she meant by the term ‘Worrier’, and I felt like real dork.
Cause sadly, I am that too. And I didn’t feel so gallant anymore. However I
recognized this at an early age – and with that purchased my first book on the
subject – ‘How to stop worrying and start living’ (Dale Carnegie) at the ripe old age of 25.
Then promptly lost the book.
Thankfully,
I did find, and continue to find that reading my scriptures is my healing balm
than calms my mind and gives me peace. And so I do that, most especially when
my mind is going nuts. Anxiety, fear,
they all stem from the same source – and in my great desire to overcome them I
have learned to go to God.
There are 3
ways that I find calm my anxious heart – when I practice them (over and above
reading scriptures and saying prayers) – Morning pages(writing in my journal),
Time-Outs(focused thought for 5 minutes twice a day), and Walks. Because
tranquility and anxiety cannot co-exist , as I practice these my anxiety
abates. I find my silver lining and feel calm. I would encourage you, to seek
God, find Him in your own unique and special way. And once you have found that
path, use it frequently – so the brambles of time and distraction don’t prevent
you from going to Him with your worries and concerns, and leaving them at His
door. Whatever the outcome, a reliance on God brings welcome results, not so?
And
remember, when you are worrying or having a hard time, extend to yourself
compassion, the same generosity you would extend to a struggling friend. And
give yourself time and space to re-align and renew and re-discover that
Heavenly Father is always there, waiting to take from us our cares. And being a
friend and having a friend are pretty great too.
xx
Melissa
