Worrying when unchecked can turn into anxiety and even depression, as I know these things first hand.  I used to have a PhD in worrying.

Worrying meant I stayed stuck in my head ruminating over and over about situations or people I had no agency over. Usually, when the situation I was feeling concerned about was resolved, none of the thoughts that kept me stressed actually formulated. All that internal turmoil and energy, started to feel wasted and unnecessary. When I found meditation and began to sit still and watch my thoughts come to a complete halt, I also found my worry dissipated as well.  

I had a funny “a-ha” moment when I watched Oprah interviewing, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson one day and he said “you can’t worry and pray.” It was startling to see this tough, famous rapper giving such wise and sage advice. That thought has never left me and at the time, it was the exact right advice to move me across the threshold of my mind and leave worrying behind.

Leaving worry behind allowed two things to happen, the first was I felt more aligned with what life was sending my way. The second was my ability to have faith in myself and God (The Universe, Higher being, Higher Self, Divinity—use what feels right to you here.) and know that I was fully supported no matter what. My worry was also tied closely to my need to control and and direct. We can control an expanse in our life, but we do come up against many variables in our life that are completely out of our control.  Worrying about controlling everything outside of yourself can make you literally sick. 

There was another step I needed to take once I relinquished my fervent worrying. Surrender.  Surrender in spirituality means to co-create, co-exist with the divine and to hold hands with divine intelligence which is the polar opposite of the surrender most of us in the west grow up with because of our Christian upbringings. Which means to passively submit and hand over our power. Instead of giving our power away we amplify it with the divine to allow us to pass our worry over and drop into that peaceful space of alignment.

Becoming more aligned was a tangible way for me to actually go with the flow of life which was a hard concept to apply when everyone is saying “Go with the flow.” I finally understood, worry was one of the many ways we resist life and fight against what is. It does interrupt our flow with life.

Having faith in myself and God allowed me to let things go, in a way I had never before. I knew I could contribute a percentage to all situations and the rest was left out of my hands. And I was okay with that. I was happy to do that. Moving our mind away from worry can be tough. Having faith without seeing or having evidence is tough too, but we have to stay grounded in the awareness that we are always loved, supported and held by something more than ourselves.

Every day the sunrises and it sets. Every day I have air in my lungs and sight to see. Despite what challenges come my way, I know I always have exactly what I need to navigate this world and any situation that comes to me. And you do too. You can lay your worry, stress and anxiety down today and try a different way being with yourself and others. 

I’d love to hear more about how you are transforming your worrying and co-creating with The Universe. Comment below or come hang out with us over in The Garden for larger group discusses related to this topic.