What’s Wrong with Worrying Anyway?

As a master worrier, I’d always considered myself quite an authority on the topic.

For years I saw it as my entitled right to worry.

I figured the more I worried, the more it showed I cared about someone or some situation.

The more it demonstrated my level of engagement.

I so identified with the act of worrying, that I didn’t know how to not worry.

 I would worry about tons of small, seemingly incidental and mostly imaginary things.

And I got really good at it.  I became a master worrier.

 And then some real scary health related stuff happened to me.

And I had what I considered to be real- life legit reasons to worry.

Except I realized that worrying was NOT going to help me get through the really scary stuff.  

Not one little bit.

So I read a lot about fear and anxiety and worry.

I even signed up for a great webinar on the topic.

 And somewhere in all of that, I came across this quote that pretty much summed it up for me and well… it stopped me in my tracks.

Simple.  Obvious.  But I guess I hadn’t been ready to face the downside of worrying.

Until suddenly, I was.  Here’s the quote that helped me pivot from choosing to worry, to choosing acceptance. It’s a hard pattern to break, but I’m on the right path. Of that I’m sure.

 “Worrying is nothing more than praying for what you don’t want.”

 Powerful.  Simple.  And I believe, oh so true.