What To Do With Worry?
Thoughts I want to share with you as we leave August and move into the first day of the rest of our lives.
How has your life changed since the start of social isolation, social distancing, and designer masks? Have you been able to adapt to changes? Have you been personally affected by COVID or are you concerned for someone who has? Are you feeling lost and alone, or do you feel like you are ready to move on? Perhaps, you have been able to find some peace in the midst of the chaos through self-reflection, healthy focused actions, or counting gratitudes. There are as many experiences and points of view as there are people in the world and many combinations of feelings.
I was planning to write about worry, but the thoughts I committed to paper felt more like I was trying to tell people they don’t need to worry and just move on, but that is not what I want to communicate. I want to share the idea that there is nothing wrong with experiencing our emotions. I believe our emotions alert us to what is happening outside of our bodies, what we chose to do with this information can cause us peace or pain.
Emotions can become counterproductive when they cause us to fight, flee, freeze, or faint.
When our outward reactions cause behaviors that do not remedy the situation, we inadvertently increase our stress, and perhaps, the stress of others in our circle. We may become fixed and inflexible in our thinking, unable to consider solutions to begin chipping away at the problem making it manageable. It does not help when we identify the problem as a big unsurmountable beast that has no end.
Keep in mind that the problem we are having becomes influenced by our reactions to an unexpected or unwanted challenge. Start by identifying what is bothering you, how it is bothering you, and why it is bothering you? You have more control over your thoughts, feelings, and reactions then you do the situation, or the person sitting next to you, or your own child for that matter. That sense of control over something internal makes a huge difference to your psyche when you feel like the whole world is out of control.
Take a moment to better understand yourself so you can become the change that you want to see. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Gandhi
Lisa Richardson, LMHC, and AFH Co-Chair
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Gandhi
Explore Your Worry Clearly define your problem.
- How are you being affected- physically, emotionally?
- Why is this so important to you? Are you concerned about what other people may think of you? What will you lose to this problem?
- What would your life be like if you stopped worrying about this problem?
- What small action step can you take to positively change- your perceptions or your reactions, or what can you contribute to changing the situation?
Here is a basic sample of how you can draw out your thoughts and feelings.
Feel free to add any colors or details that communicate your mood.
Hedda’s Rediscovered Daily Guiding Principals
Just today a friend sent me some wonderful guiding principles. Some were new and others were rediscovered. She knows I put inspirational thoughts and principals on my refrigerator door so that I look at them often. I change them each week or two.
Here are some I would like to share. I suggest placing one or more somewhere in your house, to inspire your day. I usually read one first thing in the morning and it guides my day:
1. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
2. Try to make at least three people smile each day ( now do it virtually or thru the telephone or text)
3. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
4. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: IN FIVE YEARS WILL THIS MATTER?
5. However good or bad a situation, it will change.
6. What other people think of you is none of your business
Dearest AFH Supporters, Friends, and Family,
We are all adrift on this river of turbulence. Our goal with this Arts For Health Sarasota – Manatee newsletter is to share with you tools and methods for exploring, understanding, and managing our emotional health, our physical health, and our spiritual health to become the best version of ourselves.
Please give it a go and let us know how trying something new has impacted you. We are honored to hear your feedback through our Facebook Page or our website.
Be safe,
Hedda and Lisa, Co-Chairs AFHS-M
Mindfulness Resources
Free E-book: Step Into Your Personal Expressive Arts Practice -The Tapping Solution – http://www.expressiveartsflorida.com/
The Tapping Solution – https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/releasing-coronavirus-anxiety/
Insight Timer – Meditation Playlists – https://insighttimer.com/meditation-playlists
