Flower
«
»

Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Part I

Ever suffer with anxiety?

Ever worry yourself into a frenzy?

Life Coach, Kim Giles*, has simple, principle-based solutions that may help you change.

“Studies have shown most things you worry about will never happen and the things which do happen are usually out of your control, so no amount of worrying could prevent them.

This means that worry is a waste of your time and energy.  It does not change the outcome of the future at all, but it definitely affects the quality of your life today.”

I tend to worry at night.  My nighttime schedule often includes:

brush teeth

floss

wash face

stretch

worry

When I pull the down comforter up around me and begin to worry, my husband reminds me that I will be much better equiped to face my concerns and challenges in the morning – after a good night’s sleep, when I am rested, and when the morning sun lights my day.

He is always right.

I wish my worries were as easy to turn off as a light switch, but some nights I struggle.  On difficult evenings, I imagine a bag sitting on the floor outside my bedroom door.  I picture myself placing my concerns into the bag.  I close the bag.  I close my bedroom door and leave the bag of worries sitting there all night, outside my door, while I sleep.  I get a break from them.  They are not even allowed in my room.  Often in the morning, I magically find the “bag” much lighter.  Somehow the worries escape, slip out, sneak away during the night.

Sir William Osler recommended “living your life in day-tight compartments,” meaning you focus on what is in your control today and leave the problems that might happen to tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow…tomorrow’s blog will be Part II in the Don’t Worry, Be Happy series.  We’ll share more insight on leaving your worries behind.

Think. Click. Be…

worry free.

* (KSL.com, LIFEadvice: Beat anxiety by staying positive, staying present. March 12, 2012)

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2012 at 1:00 am and is filed under BillionClicks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy – Part I”

  1. October 15th, 2012 at 8:02 am

    Liz says:

    Thanks for this post! I know just what you are talking about. I know that I am working hard on letting go. Isn’t that ironic? Working hard at letting go? Letting go of thoughts that keep me awake after my post-childbirth (7 of them) bladder wakes me to go to the bathroom at 3 or 4 or 5 am. I try to imagine putting my worries in a basket by my bed or giving them to Heavenly Father, but I haven’t yet completely let them go, because soon they are back working in my mind. Three tools do help me get back to sleep: listening to the scriptures on my phone (which has a timer to go to sleep after a certain length of time), listening to a “Help me get to sleep” relaxation mp3 on my phone, and priesthood blessings from my husband. But I look forward to the day when I have developed the ability sufficiently on my own–through the grace of God!–to be able to get back to sleep whenever I want!

    Thanks for all of the good you are sharing,
    Liz :)

  2. October 15th, 2012 at 8:57 am

    Rebecca Anderson says:

    Love this! I think we all suffer from worry. That alone has been the most exhausting aspect of motherhood for me.

    I have a wise friend who says, “Worrying about something has never prevented what you’re worried about from happening.”

    It’s a good reminder for me to not waste my time worrying, and rather, spend it DOING (during day time hours of course)

Leave a Reply