Put your worries in a bubble and blow them away

Basically worry is not an externally caused condition. It is simply a particular type of thought pattern - nothing more. We often believe we have no choice but to worry- we believe its our life circumstances 'doing it to us' but in truth it is simply a worrying thought doing it to us! A ‘worry’ or ‘anxious’ thought occurs when the mind projects itself into the future and imagines something going wrong. What is the emotion generated by these types of thoughts or mental movies? Fear.

There is only one way: to find out what true happiness is and what its source is. And this is not as difficult as it sounds. Just look at your life and see that you have felt both happy and sad in similar situations. There were times when things did not go as you planned or had hoped, yet still your spirits were high, you were full of enthusiasm and you moved ahead with a smile. In the same way, sometimes things might have been so wonderful, and yet you were not able to enjoy it.

I strongly recommend worrying about what might or might not happen to you in a variety of contexts: when to cross the street, how to drive, whether to smoke or use addictive substances, whether to live a life of crime. But there is of course such a thing as over worrying. I certainly have a tendency to do this. In general, when I start feeling panicky or obsessively worried, I tend to focus on certain common triggers. For me, those are fatigue, too much coffee, or dehydration. I address those causal factors, and that helps. I also find healthy perspective from listening to music, reading, and mindlessly killing hordes of enemies in various computer games.

And if you observe closely, you will find that whenever you are angry, sad or upset, your mind has gone to the past - you are upset, angry, etc because of something that happened, or that you saw, heard, or thought. In the same way if you observe, you will find that whenever you are anxious, stressed, or worried, your mind has moved to the future - your mind is projecting a bad experience you have had or seen or heard about onto the future, creating stress. But when you are really happy, enthusiastic, joyful, if you observe, you will realize that at that moment your mind is in the present moment!

Also at that time you are not worried about the future or brooding over the past. And that is why small children are so happy without any reason - because their mind is still firmly established in the here and now - they don't worry about the future or brood over the past. Even if they get angry or cry, they do it 100% in that moment, and then they are finished... they are happy again. So then the question is how to bring the mind to the present moment again and again, and teach it to spend more time there? The easiest means is by using the breath. Why?

Because there is a connection between the breath and the mind and emotions. If you observe, then you will find that whenever your state of mind or emotions change, the rhythm in the breath also changes. For example, if someone gets really angry, they will start breathing faster. We have all experienced this at some time or the other. But we are usually not aware of this connection. By becoming aware of this, and using breathing techniques, we can reverse this effect, allowing us to bring the mind back to the present moment, and regaining the happiness that is actually our nature, but which gets clouded by the thoughts and emotions in the mind.

This is why when your mind is not at peace, you cannot enjoy a good meal, even though it is your favorite food. And this is why people enjoy things that give them a thrill, because for a moment, that scary or exciting experience brings the mind fully to the present moment! Either you may use more ‘socially acceptable’ words like stress, anxiety or worry but at the core of all these is fear. Though these imagined future events are not happening in reality, you are still going through the events in your mind and your body reacts accordingly, going into a subtle (or not so subtle) state of 'fight or flight' and learn to recognize worry and anxiety for what they are. Just thought patterns. Thought patterns that you don't need to believe or buy into. By seeing worry for what it is it loses its power to ‘take you over’.

And one technique for dealing with worry proposed by Dr. Christopher Walsh is a technique he calls the “just worrying” labeling. It’s a very simple technique: Whenever you find yourself worrying about something, note to yourself that you’re “just worrying.” By doing this you become present as the witness of your thoughts instead of being completely taken over by them. You now have the power to choose to let it go. After you label it, then turn your focus to your breathing, or just simply bring your attention into the present moment and what your doing. Every time you catch yourself worrying—no matter how often—you employ the technique again.

You'll find that this will gradually break the habit of your habit of worrying. Keep busy. Don't fuss about trifles. Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries. Cooperate with the Inevitable. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more. Don't worry about the past. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope. Never try to get even with your enemies. Find Yourself and Be Yourself (Remember There Is No One Else on Earth Like You) Worrying can be detrimental to your physical and mental health, therefore you should find ways to deal with your worries.”Stop worrying, Stay Happy”! Cheers!