Worry

Worry is an old friend. Sometimes worry is a big bear rumbling around in my brain, sometimes it’s just a little gnat – irritating, but manageable. In times like this when the bear of worry grows to a T-Rex of worry, it can feel nearly impossible to get away. Be gentle with yourself and your family. Worry is natural. Worry alerts you to serious situations and can help your brain work to find solutions to a problem. Worry can lead to positive and productive action, but it’s no fun to get stuck in a loop of worry. We offer a few tools for getting unstuck.

Sometimes it helps to talk about your worries. Finding comfort in discomfort can also be a tool to re-route worry. Notice notice an achy back, a foot that might be falling asleep, the temperature of the air. Noticing these things takes us out of our heads and also reminds us that we have the power of action. Shifting your body into action allows your movement to carry you away from the worries.

It could help to schedule worry time. Set a timer and write or draw all your worries in a notebook. Keep your hand moving. Really let it all out. Then, close the notebook.

Grounding through our five senses can also help in worrying situations. Look for a color. Try to find that color as many times as you can. Feel your feet in your shoes or your legs against a chair. Tune into the sounds in the room. Are the sounds pleasant or unpleasant? Do you detect any particular smells? Is there a taste in your mouth?

THINK - The verb to “worry” sometimes means to tear at or gnaw. Does this definition seem right to you? Why?

TALK - Ask your friend or family member to tell you something they don’t worry about. Be curious: why don’t they worry? Was there a time when they did? How do they live with their worries?

WRITE - Set a timer for five minutes. In your notebook, write a list of your worries using the tiniest letters you can write. Write them again, even smaller. Write them again. Shrink your worries down. At the end of five minutes, put your pencil down. Keep the worries in your notebook where they can’t bother you.

DO - Tighten every muscle in your body. Your arms and legs and neck and face. Tighten. Tighten. Count to five. Release all your muscles. Feel the relief. (You can do this standing, sitting or laying down.)

BE - Blow bubbles. Pick one bubble to follow. This is your worry bubble. Focus your energy on this bubble. Watch the bubble until it bursts. Did it pop mid-air? Did it run into a tree or a lamp or the side of the house? Did it float all the way up into the sky and vanish into the blue?

We love this poem, The Practice, by Barry Spacks. Everything in the poem is doing just what it’s supposed to do. No worries, just action.