Let Go of WORRY and Let Love In
Leo F. Buscaglia once said, “worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” To worry is to give way to anxiety or unease; allowing your mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. It is normal to worry about nerve-racking events like unpaid bills, job interviews, or a first date. The problem is when the worry becomes constant in your life, always thinking in worst-case scenarios. When the constant worrying comes in the way of personal growth, we need to focus on letting it go.
Psychologist Marcia Reynolds says: “The primary purpose the brain exists is to keep you alive and safe. First, it is always working to keep your body functioning. Second, it is always on the alert to keep you from being harmed. Therefore, the brain can skew our thoughts toward pessimism and worrying about the worst that can happen. Shifting to optimism and possibilities takes a conscious effort for most people.” This means that we are hardwired to worry. However, it doesn’t mean that we have no control over our thoughts. Letting go of worry and letting love in is not impossible, it simply requires practice. Remember the quote when you are on your journey: “If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”
At IdareU2bee.com we have a team that creates programs, activities, workshops, and books that support the social and emotional skill development of kids, parents, guardians, and teachers. One of the biggest things we notice is how much worrying can steal away dreams. It may seem you can never turn off your brain from the worry, and it can seem impossible to overcome. It is not complicated to minimize the impacts that worry can have if you allow yourself to discover the power that the emotion of love can have on your mind and your body during those scary moments.
Letting go of worry helps free us from the heavy emotions we carry around. When you are free from those heavy emotions it makes you more confident and when you are more confident, you become less attached to what went wrong and can focus more on what could go right. Give yourself permission to accept your emotions for what they are and then critically think through the situation to know you deserve the best so that worry does not stop you.
Practice the following actions to help you LET GO OF WORRY and LET LOVE WIN!
- FOCUS ON THE GOOD INSTEAD OF THE BAD- Instead of thinking about the worst possible outcomes, train your brain to start thinking about the good outcomes. When you find yourself worrying, take a moment to write down your worries and then take each worry and write down a positive outcome that is possible.
- FOCUS ON THE PRESENT- By staying present you are allowing yourself to let love in. By only focusing on what’s going wrong or what could go wrong you are already putting yourself in a failing mindset. Stay present and deal with only the facts of the present situation. This will help prevent you from thinking about the worst-case scenario.
- GO EASY ON YOURSELF- If you are struggling to give up worrying, it’s okay. You are not to blame; it is in our DNA to worry. If it is taking a little bit longer for you to give up worrying, beating yourself up about it will not help. Don’t make yourself wrong, be kind to yourself and keep practicing.
To train your brain to work through your worry try our ACTIVITY SHEET BELOW. Until next time, stay confident, courageous and keep building your KIND MIND! Share it with your friends!
