Do you worry sometimes? Well, this is a silly question since everybody worries sometimes, some more, some less.
What are worries? They are just thoughts that pass through the mind. They are not facts. They are not the truth. They have no reality. They are like a mental game of asking, “What if…”, and nothing more.
Look at the clouds that pass through the sky. They are made of vapor, and they change form as they move through the sky. They hide part of the sky or all the sky, and sometimes they hide the sun.
However, this is only temporary. Sooner or later, they move on, allowing the sun to send its rays down again.
Worries Are Like Clouds
Worries, which are actually thoughts, are like the clouds. They pass through the mind, hide reason, common sense and our aims and goals, and if you don’t hold to them, they go away, making place for other worries.
Worries become problems, imaginary problems when you try to hold on to them, focus on them, and lose sight of the sky and the sun within you, which become temporarily hidden.
The sky and sun, in this case, are your spirit, the real you, your inner strength, and your ability to control your thoughts.
If you keep watering your worries and don’t let them leave you, sooner or later, you might start acting and behaving in such a way as to make them come true. Why should you?
You can hang to the worries, and you can release them. If you hang to them, they grow, but if you don’t, they go away.
Yes, worries go away if you don’t water them with your thoughts and with your attention.
Your attention gives them the power and the life force to grow. If you focus your attention on constructive thoughts, there will be no place for worries.
Questions
Worries include the question, “What if…?”
What if this or that happens? Why this and that should happen at all? If you dwell on this question your mind will invent all kinds of theories, which you start believing in, letting them affect your state of mind and your behavior.
Are the following questions the usual pattern of your thinking?
- “What if this doesn’t work out?”
- “What will happen, if I don’t get the job?”
- “Maybe he doesn’t love me?”
- “What if this disaster happens?”
You can instead, use the same question, “what if”, in a different way. Why not ask yourself:
- “What if I get rich?”
- “What if I become healthy?”
- “Wouldn’t it be great if I get the job?”
- “What if she loves me?”
Yes, you can choose your thoughts. You can choose your inner conversations, and therefore, you can refuse to provide fuel to your worries.
You can choose accept your worries and constantly dwell on them, and you can choose to reject them. You will probably not be able to do ignore or reject them the first time you try, but you will eventually, if you try again and again.
Remember the title of this article, “Worries are like clouds that pass through the mind”. They are just thoughts floating through the mind. Let them float and go away. Don’t put into them the fuel of your attention.
Clouds start as small clouds, which gather force, merge with other clouds, and become bigger clouds.
It is the same with your worries. They are small and insignificant in the beginning, but if you focus on them they grow and look real.
It is much easier to reject them before they gather force. Therefore, be aware of your of your thoughts and worries. It is easier to get rid of them when they just sprout, and before they gather force.
Recommended books to help you ignore your worries:
How to Focus Your Mind
Peace of Mind in Daily Life
