Worry will get you if you don't get him first!

God it seems there’s always some quiet little worry, sitting almost unnoticed in the back of my mind, just gently needling away at me. When one tiny worry goes, another comes to replace it

Yes. Do you think that’s a good thing?

No. But it often happens without me even realising.

Explain.

Well when I don’t have any big problem to grapple with I’ll realise there’s a little worry just grinding away quietly in the back of my mind. I can be worrying about something for days without even really knowing it.

Most humans do that Mark.

So does that mean little worries are nothing to worry about?

What do you think? Expand on the problem a bit – it will help you recognise what’s going on and what to do about it.

Ok, well I might be a little bit worried about my relationship with one of the people I care about. But then I’ll realise my worries were unfounded, so momentarily I’m happy and calm. But before I know it, I’m just a tiny bit worried about my car, or one of the animals – or about my garage being untidy. Silly little worries.

So if they’re silly, why be worried about them?

I don’t know – why don’t you point them out?

I do. That’s why you’re realising this is a problem. You OFTEN realise it. But then you get busy with worrying about something else and forget that I brought it to your attention. Worry is one of your most cunning opponents.

What shall I do about it?

Understand that the problem is NOT the things you worry about. The problem is Worry himself.

Ok. Sometimes I think I have it under control - but to be honest I think it’s always sort of there.

It is. Always.

I guess I thought that the tendency to quietly worry about something is not really a problem. Little worries are almost comforting sometimes. But that’s probably not very healthy?

No. But it’s common.

So it can’t be avoided?

Actually it’s VERY avoidable.

What should we do then?

Understand the problem better. If Doubt is a sniper trying to take you out, then Worry is a secret agent.  Worry wins your trust, you get comfortable with him being part of your life. Once you trust the things he says, he can tell you whatever he likes. You might trust his words, but actually they are crippling you.

Imagine this: You are walking briskly backwards and forwards along a beach wearing a backpack and someone throws a pebble in it, and then as you walk back up the beach another pebble. Plop. And then back down the beach – another pebble. And so on. Imagine it is a large pack, and each time you turn in the other direction someone adds another pebble. Ever so slowly the little pebbles which started out smaller than you, will end up heavier and more powerful than you.

God this sounds like an awfully cheesy, predictable and boring sermon.

You need to learn not to be so cynical Mark. It doesn’t actually help you. I’m explaining the concept in terms you’ll remember. The pebbles are your worries. They seem so small but they compound and weigh you down. Worry, that sliming, cunning, scheming force will stop you dead if you don’t stop him first.

Him?

Him.

But God most people keep going, despite their worries?

They do, but compared to what they are capable of, they have stopped dead. Most people achieve only a shadow of what they would if they didn’t have to contend with Worry. Worries attract each other. Before long little quiet worries become a part of life.

Ok fine, but this is just giving me more to worry about. Now I’ll worry about the fact that I worry.

Yes you will. Unless you recognise that this is a problem, and develop a method of dealing with it.

Please don’t say ‘choose to be happy’!! That song annoys me – it sounds like a great idea, but never seems to work. Not for me anyway.

No. Name a worry and we’ll use it as an example of how to deal with this.

Money worries. No matter where I am in the financial pile – throughout my life – success or failure, there seem to have been worries, big and small, about money.

Ok here’s what you do. Catch yourself at it, and then ask me what to do about it.

I’m asking.

Good - the first step is to catch yourself at it – recognise that you’re worrying and then recognise where Worry has its roots.

Well God it’s often based on fact. Often finances aren’t as good as they could be.

No. Not facts, but someone else’s take on the facts. Worry’s take, not yours.

You’re saying that most things I worry about seldom happen? And if they ever do, it’s often because the worrying made them happen??

Yes. Exactly.

This sounds like a positive thinking course God. Those things are easy to say, but they don’t seem to stop the worry.

No they don’t. Positive thinking is an important tool. But you need specific directions from me on how to deal with each new Worry as it surfaces. Direct from me to your spirit. Not just something you read, but something actually spoken, by me, direct to you, right then, about that worry.

Really God? Hearing you takes such practise and effort. Now I have to hear you about every single little worry?

Yes because little worries lead to bigger problems. They slow you down. You humans are like high-performance athletes eating junk food (worries) at every meal. Slowly but surely your performance slows down, your ability to win diminishes. You allow Worry to worry you with his little worries. It destroys your mental, spiritual and eventually your physical health.

So how to deal with it?

Catch yourself at it, recognise that you’re worrying. Don’t let it carry on unnoticed in the back of your mind. Call it out. Then ask me what I’m saying about that particular thing you’re worrying about. It’s much more powerful to hear me speak than to chant your own positive antidote. The real power comes when you ask me to comment about things you’re worried about. Don’t shout at it and tell it to go away, ask me for comment. My comments will drive it away.

Worry may seem small, but he is a debilitating force from the dark side. Cunning and looking for an opportunity to whisper his worry into your mind. You’re no real match for him on your own. Better to fight a small fire with a large one. When you hear his sliming voice, don’t shout at him - ask me to speak. And expect to hear words from me that are as easy to understand as the ones you just heard from him. Because that’s what’s happening. Worry is singing his quiet little songs to you, and every now and then a big loud one.