Monday Meditation: Worry

I have been thinking quite a bit about worry lately. I have always been an anxious person and there are few times in my life I recall that weren't overshadowed by a worry I was experiencing. In my time here, I've tried prayer, antidepressants, therapy, and meditation to combat the anxiety that worry creates.

To an extent, all of these methods have worked, but meditation has been my biggest relief. I credit ongoing therapy and my short time on antidepressants with creating the base building blocks of good mental health, but they weren't able to fully conquer and address the immediacy of panic attacks. Meditation and the breathing that informs and enhances a meditation practice has created so much mental and emotional space for me. (I will say here that I consider prayer to be a form of directed meditation.)

Like many things in life, worry is a habit. I had carved a very deep metaphorical groove in my brain where worry lived. If I solved one reason to worry, without conscious effort, I found another reason to obsess over. However, like all habits, I have the ability to adjust and ultimately change it. Changing habits takes time and the willingness to engage with every instance. My process is below:

1. Recognize that I am worrying. Most important. I periodically check in with myself during the day to asses how I'm feeling.
2. Acknowledge the worry. Different from recognizing, acknowledgment brings the worry into focus. Instead of a back of the brain nagging, I focus on what is actually bothering me.
3. Take a deep breath. Seriously. I breathe deeply, from my diaphragm, several times. It calms my nerves, and relaxes the tops of my shoulders.
4a. Do something. I ask myself if there is an action I can do right now, this very minute, that will help alleviate some stress. Maybe it's putting a single thing away or making a phone call. It doesn't have to be big.
4b. Do nothing. Maybe this is a situation that is totally out of my control. In which case, I need to acknowledge to myself that nothing I can do will change anything. This is not my circus and those are not my monkeys.
5. Move on intentionally. Once I've worked through the previous steps, I deliberately turn my mind and actions to another topic. I always try to make it a positive topic. I think about fun or exciting future plans or get physically active in some way.

A few notes, hunger and tiredness can exacerbate the issues. So eat a sandwich or take a nap. Everything will be better afterwords.

My worst moments of worry come when I'm trying to fall asleep. Or I'm tired. Or I'm hungry. I'm not perfect because worry creates stressful moments and it's sometimes hard to think clearly during those times. But I know I have resources and skills that will help pull me through.

I'd love to know how you deal with persistent worry and anxiety. Let me know your thoughts below!