Recent studies have estimated that 86 percent of adults classify themselves as worriers—and they can spend almost up to two hours doing it every day! But more recently, because of the current world state of affairs, worry has skyrocketed for most people.
When we are worried, we can’t focus on what we want, or see the truth of the situation, because we are too consumed with fear. When we worry it is because we are trying to protect ourselves from being blindsided. Worry, like fear, is also in our life to tell us something. If we already think about the worst-case outcome and that bad situation happens, then we can be more prepared. It’s an ego-mind trick. If it happens we will be in more control, and this situation was planned for. But most the time the worst-case scenario, and the things we worry about never end up actually happening. So it’s time to get a hold of ego-mind and liberate ourselves from the worry mental mindset that keeps us feeling stuck and unsure.
Recognize that worry itself, is not bad, it is a protection mechanism our brains create, but when we overthink and stay in the worry, it can hindering us. Remind yourself that the worst-case scenarios hardly ever happen, so when we trust our worry, we just keep ourselves stuck in fear.
In my book Joy Seeker, I dedicate an entire chapter on how to get over worry. And one of the easiest tools to adopt is the worry to wonder mindset shift.
Wonder is an opportunity, playfulness, and exploration. Every time my mind falls into worry, I catch myself and turn it into a wonderful statement. It looks something like this:
Turn Your Worry into Wonder
Identify your main concern and worries? Then write them out on a piece of paper along with a wonder statement to counter it.
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Worry: What if I fail and it doesn’t work out?
Wonder: I wonder how great it will feel when it goes better than planned, what if I’m happier than I ever thought I could be?
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Worry: What if people don’t understand or approve of what I do?
Wonder: I wonder how amazing it will be when the right people love it and my idea is well received?
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Worry: What if I get sick, can’t pay the bills, I make the wrong choice for my children?
Wonder: It is wonderful when I align with my heart and trust myself. Everything is in the right order when I am connected with source energy, my true self and divine love. I am safe and provided for.
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Worry: What if this is our new reality, forevermore?
Wonder: I focus on what I can control, which is this moment and I seek our wonder and awe. I choose joy and live my life from a place of focus and fun not fear.
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Worry: What if I lose everything and it all goes away?
Wonder: Nothing real can be Threatened, what matters most will always prevail, and that is the love in my heart.
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Try it out for yourself. What is your biggest worry? What consumes your mind? Instead of worrying, turn it into a wonder statement. The goal is to retrain your brain to focus on the good. As you do this, it will become habitual to focus on the good and overcome the anxiety associated with worry.
I would love to hear in the comments your biggest concern, and your wonder statement.
This is an excerpt from Joy Seeker: Let Go of What’s Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Were Made For by Shannon Kaiser.
