Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere. We all worry at times, but if your worrying is running you, it’s time to get out of that chair. Like Mr Worry perhaps you are addicted to worrying?
In the olden days, when the threat of being eaten by something was high us humans were on constant alert for threats. The daily quest for water, food, hatching babies and staying alive alone was a full-time job. There were no 28 days holiday, duvet days, or sabbaticals to search for the meaning of life back then. Our ancestors legacy is a deeply installed, and hormonally supported blueprint to self-protect and stay alive at all cost.
Forward wind to 2020 and that legacy is active in all of our everyday lives and our nervous systems. When faced with any perceived threat our mind and body reacts. The film, TV, advertising, book and gaming industries tap into engage our brains to emotionally react to what is being viewed. Our imaginations are a key portal into the mind and body connection. The part of your brain that creates imagination doesn’t know the difference between an imagined experience and a real one. It tells the body to react for a moment as if the imagined threat was real. When we watch a scary movie at the cinema you can see an entire audience jump at certain points yet the reality is we are all safe in our warm seats. That’s the power of the imagination on the mind and body and the chemical reactions it can release when in danger.
Photo by Christopher Windus on Unsplash
Today the dragons have been substituted by more of an invisible and internal threat, ‘a fear of the future’ or ‘fear of looking stupid’ or ‘fear of rejection’ produces anxiety. Anxiety is a mind and body response to an imagined fear in the future. The fear could be that perhaps in the future someone won’t like you, or that you will get something very wrong, fail, or that you won’t have enough money to live. Either way the message to the mind is that there is something significantly painful coming at you like a high speed train from the future and you can’t avoid the future.
We all get nervous when stepping out of our comfort zone doing something new, or when something is demanded from us that we believe we lack the skill or experience for. If your thoughts, anxieties, or fears are impacting your quality of life, or you are constantly trying to avoid your fears by over-controlling your life.
If anxiety is holding you back in your life, stop coping with it, there is so much that can be done to overcome it and get your freedom back. Talk to someone, you will be amazed at how many people suffer with anxiety. Speak to your GP about CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or talk to me about the amazing Thought Pattern Management system. It’s time to let go and turn your Mr/s Worry back into Mr/s Happy.