Worries and Confusion and Chaos Oh MY!

Worry gives a small thing a big shadow. ~Swedish proverb

Halfway to work this morning, I wondered if I had inadvertently left my work keys and badge at home. This is one of those things, nearly EVERY morning, I find myself worrying about. Thus far, Ive only once forgotten my keys. And yet, I still worry. Generally, I will check my bag first, and then my coat pocket which this morning produced positive results. Hurray, I hadnt forgotten them!

Statistics indicate that over 85% of all that we worry about never happens. These include worries over our past which can never be changed, worries over which we have no control, irrational concerns or fears, and future worries.

As I began writing this the song “You were on my Mind” started to play through my head. And I thought about how often our worries include another person. We find ourselves mentally going through a bazillion & one things.

· What will they think of me if…
· Does he/she REALLY like me, or are they just being nice?
· And my personal favorite If he / she really knew me, I dont think theyd want to be around me.

Ah yes, we can tie ourselves in knots over little things like this cant we cant control, and if were not careful, find ourselves in HEAPS of confusion, chaos, and turmoil. Interestingly, in the midst of typing this, I lost my connection. I was worried, that Id have to start all over again. I cant tell you the sigh of relief I had to breathe when it was all still there!!

Each week, I try to come up with a topic that all ties together in a neat little package for my Positively You Group. By Friday morning, if I havent been inspired by something, I worry over what Ill manage to come up with. It seemed suitable today to put this worrying to good use!! lol

Positively You On My Mind

When I woke up this morning
Positively You was on my mind
its Pos-itively Truuuue
I got troubles, whoa-oh
I got worries, whoa-oh
I got words to find

So I went to the computer
Gave my fingers pains
Yeah, ty-ping cause pain
I got troubles, whoa-oh
I got worries, whoa-oh
I came home again -NOT

I guess Ive always been pretty fortunate in finding what I need to put this all together. I stumbled across the following in an article about worry on the selfgrowth.com website

“Worry can wear you down emotionally and physically. There are many ways that you can deal with worry. Some especially effective methods are summarized below.

The Dalai Lama has been quoted as saying If there is a solution to a problem, there is no need to worry. And if there is no solution, there is no need to worry.

His message is to focus on the solution and not the problem. However, when wrongs can’t be righted or circumstances can’t be controlled, one must accept the things they cannot change.

The Logic of Statistics

Many people who have written or spoken about worry have told the statistics story. The earliest source that we could find of the story and most probable author was Thomas S. Kepler, a respected biblical scholar. He wrote about a woman who realized fears were ruining her life. She began to keep track of what was worrying her and she found:

· 40% of the things she worried about were about things that would never happen.
· 30% of the things she worried about were about things that had already happened, water under the bridge.
· 12% of the things she worried about were about others’ opinions and when she thought about it she realized that criticisms are often made by those that are jealous or insecure and therefore unjust criticism is a disguised compliment.
· 10% of the things she worried about were needless health worries, which made her health worse as she worried.
· 8% of the things she worried about were “legitimate,” since life has some real problems to meet.

If you consider the above as probable statistics, it would seem that only 8% of the things that you worry about are worth the worry. Next time you are worried about something, perform a check to see if the worry is in a category other then the 8% category and if it is, perhaps logic will help free you from the worry.”

Things do have a way of working out, and I know I need not have worried. So what will you take from this experience of mine? Does it help to know that those things we worry about dont generally happen?? If Im honest, Ill say, yup to a degree anyway, as long as I remind myself!!

Worries and Confusion and Chaos Oh MY!
©Sue Anderson, All Rights Reserved 2010 – 2011
An-ders-(S)on-shine, Silliness, Stories, Legends, Laughter, & Love™
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Ps.18:32