“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from trying to control it.” Kahlil Gibran
Happy Monday!
I hope your weekend was enjoyable and you took a step back to allow your nervous system to recharge! We’re learning so much about the importance of downtime and giving ourselves a chance to repair what the rigors of daily life often require of our minds and bodies. It’s important to engage in mindful practices, as well as physical and spiritual practices, to continue to have a balanced sense of wellness.
I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, right? You’ve heard me say this so many times; it’s probably like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher – wah-wah – hahaha! The reality is, however, that finding balance is one of the critical factors in managing anxiety. Yup, not kidding. I said it. The “A” word. It’s become a staple of the present-day diet and it’s overrated.
Here’s a quote from Kahlil Gibran addressing anxiety:
Clark and Beck wrote the following in their anxiety workbook (2012):
“Without question, the most important part of your anxiety assessment is determining the nature of your anxious mind…We found that teaching people to become more aware of their thinking errors when feeling anxious can help them correct their faulty anxious thoughts and beliefs.”
The authors went on to explain that the need to control plays a significant role in distress and anxiety, noting three major flaws in our thinking:
- We can control – at all. This is a false expectation because, no matter what, what scares us is based on an internal thought, and any sense of control is illusory.
- We usually look for an instant solution that doesn’t provide lasting change.
- The need for control can become an obsession that then exacerbates the anxiety that we are trying to eliminate, to begin with.
It’s a horribly vicious cycle with no practical solution. We have to change how we think about the future.
This is where our mindfulness practices can be germane, bringing us back to a place of stability and easing our troubled minds. It gives our overloaded nervous systems a chance to rest, refresh, and prepare for the next round of whatever life tosses our way. We know that transitions happen, and we have to create new routines. When we think everything is organized, something or someone will throw a wrench in the works and muck it all up. We know our hearts will be broken beyond repair, but we’ll have to go on because others will depend on us, and we aren’t done with our mission yet.
Scripture reminds us:
“And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:27-34 (ESV)
Whether we choose mindfulness, meditation, Ignatian prayer, yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, contemplative prayer, rhythmic dance, or some other practice that will slow our nervous systems down and allow regeneration, we must find a way to change. How we think about our future will minimize our potential for anxiety and maximize our opportunities for lasting health. It will be the difference between allowing fear to take hold or looking forward to the potential for joy.
Let’s resist the urge to control and allow a positive future kind of week!
Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda
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