Using Meditation in Daily Life

Chase Away Worry

Have you ever awakened with thoughts of doom and gloom in your head? Or you awaken feelinggood, then your mind seems to latch onto some pressing issue.  Your thoughts do not solve the problem,but swirl around in your head in worry and rumination.

Worry and gloomand doom thinking can cloud your mind and stop your ability to thinkclearly.  With worrisome thoughtsswirling in your head, critical thinking and good decision making become impaired.

There is anescape from this worry.  It’scalled “Intentional Thinking.” This is the power  of choosing your thoughts, choosing the helpful ones ratherthan thoughts that seem to go round and round causing stress and worry, butsolving nothing.

Three Steps tofollow to produce Intentional Thinking:

1. Go toGratitude:  Make a grateful list.  By occupying your mind with all theabundance in your life, you stop the worry and fear.  Today I am grateful for…(say this and make the list) Thesedays I make my list on my iPhone in the Notes APP.  This is easy because my phone is always with me. I can addto my grateful list as the day goes along, as I wait in a line, or in betweenactivities.

2.  Take Action: Make a list of action steps that can bedone today or tomorrow that will produce results and/or give you informationregarding the worrisome event. Write these action steps on paper.   Writing helps to manage theworrisome thoughts and insert some movement into the worry.  Write the baby steps you are able to committo and take one step.  An action mightbe a meditation: search your App store for Room to Breathe Meditation, a simple breathing exercise that will chaseyour worry away.

3. Use Wisdom: As in the Serenity Prayer ask God, oryour Higher Power as you see that Higher Power, to grant you the serenity toaccept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you canand the wisdom to know the difference between what you can change and what youare unable to change. Sometimes it’s difficult to know the difference betweenwhat we actually can change and what we have no control over. Be honest. If theevent or worry is out of your control, give it to God, or your Higher Power. Weare unable to change other people, places or things.  We can only change ourselves. Write this on paper, tell afriend, commit to giving your worry to God’s plan. Know you have done what youare able.  Have the willingness togive your worry to God: saying.  Igive this to you because it’s out of my control.

The three stepsgive you power over your runaway worrisome thoughts.  Try one today. Peaceful thinking,