Dropping Worry using Mindfulness
There is an option of not believing the thoughts we have that suggest that we should be worried or concerned about something that may (though nearly 100% of the time doesn’t) happen.
We can instead turn to what we experiencing in this moment and since that is where life takes place, right now, we can be here intimately for it.
It can be a little uncomfortable at first the idea of dropping worry, as we may have previously believed that worry thoughts help us by identifying potential threats and that they keep us safe.
With practice we can come to see that dropping those thoughts does not make us oblivious to danger, and we are still able to respond appropriately to anything of real concern which arises. Dropping the worrying does not increase our danger in life and does not turn us into irresponsible risk takers.
For those who have had their nervous system primed to be a little trigger happy on the threat detection side early on in life, or as the result of trauma as adults, our minds can regularly identify threat where there are none. This can lead us into living in a contracted state, not open to really experiencing life as it is happening as it doesn’t feel safe to relax.
Trauma in childhood or traumatic experiences as adults can raise our base emotional state to a fear level that leads us to filter the raw moment to moment experience through the always on commentary of our thoughts.
Often we find ourselves not living right now but off in the future in our minds and missing out on life. It is a way the brain tries to protect us, but results in us causing ourselves unnecessary unhappiness.
Part of my toolkit for living is regularly checking in with feelings that I have ignored as they are unpleasant and cause me to feel disturbed. I find those feelings easily by locating them in the body.
Dropping out of thoughts and the head and taking your attention into the body is a way of noticing where the feelings are being felt physically. Have an attitude of open curiosity. Allow the feeling to be there and say hello to it. You can even visualise a little space around the feeling sensation so that it can manoeuvre or move a little if it wants.
Emotions in the body can be easily identified as a feeling, for example, a clenched fist in my chest or a tight throat or tummy, or elsewhere. By turning towards the feeling and locating it as a felt experience in the body we can allow it to release in its own time.
Turning towards disturbing feelings in the body may seem a little daunting at first, and reassurance and guidance from a counsellor or psychotherapist can help initially till we gain confidence to do it on our own. Sometimes a little video guided practice is enough and I have posted a link below to one I think it helpful.
https://youtu.be/TH3fFYqfOlA