Part of my makeup is to cover up my worry warts.
Those warts have been with me FOREVER
I try to cover them as best as I can but lately….
they are spreading like the plaque
I worry CONSTANTLY…
being overly empathetic I harbor those sad feelings around me
Part of the people pleaser thing that I work on….
trying to release my worry for others…to minimize it down to concern not worry…
the worry overtakes my brain…
but it is SO ingrained….
It has been one of those weeks for me.
I have been tracking my food intake…
not happy with the quality of the food or the inconsistency of my meals (skipping, not eating at regular times) but within my calorie count.
Exercise…building my retro plan…Richard Simmons and I have re-connected and I am walking, stretching, and lots of meditation.
My biggest hurdle lately is my water intake….
low to null to say the least….
But the biggest cloud that looms is my worry…
A very good friend of mine is going through a ton of stress
She herself has been diagnosed with sleep apnea and received her little machine this week..
Her childhood best friend has cancer and only a few weeks left to live
and Wednesday, her Mom had a biopsy and has breast cancer.
Pre-op appt was yesterday.
And yesterday, I spent time at the vet… My oldest kitty is not fairing well.
Some type of infection. She has no energy and walks with a stumble…
All the while, I worried about the diagnoses but not my own feelings…
I worried about how all the others close to me would take the news …if it were bad
I cried with my worry…
the worry and staying strong for others consumed me
I totally forgot about a chat I was suppose to run..
felt bad…very bad…
then another good friend rushed her Mom to the hospital last night…
A few day stay and she should be fine…
but it adds to my concerns
I worry about my own health…
mental, spiritual, and physical health…
and my family’s…
I worry about money and the see saw of not knowing with my own employment
I worry because as hard as I try, I still lose grasp on my spirituality and my faith
I worry that I have an appt in a couple of weeks, as I am a candidate for surgery, and wish it just wasn’t so
its a minor thing and it will help me out but yet..i still worry
That is the one downside of this journey for me
As I have become more integrated with my body, the disconnect is scarcely there, so the food doesn’t comfort me
I find my worry warts are attacking….full fledged army….
and honestly….I am at a loss as to how to right this…food is no longer an option….
I am trying everything that I have read and learned to combat stress…
journaling….talking….exercising….meditating….trying to release what I KNOW is not mine…
because…
It causes me stress…and I know that stress is a contributing factor to this weight loss see saw….
and it is truly affecting me and I want to learn how to worry a lot less…
Do they have a compound W for the worries?
How do you handle stress and worry?
Such an honest, transparent and heartfelt post!
I won’t try to give you any fancy schmancy “methods”… sounds like you’ve read them all before, anyway.
What works for me is just a knowing… an acceptance. I know and accept a couple of basic truths: One, I have NO control over anything “out there”. But I do have a choice as to how I react to it, how I respond. I totally believe that, not just psycho-babble.
Two, since I’m not in this alone, and I know God will never desert me, I know and accept that I’ll survive anything that comes along. I don’t have to know details… I just know somehow I will get through it. And that includes handling my feelings at seeing what others go through, which I think can be even harder sometimes.
I think you are more of an “empath” than I am.. so you feel the pain others are going through deeper. But you are right, in that we need to separate Concern from Worry. One is based on LOVE, and one comes from FEAR.
Don’t know if I offered anything helpful, but I know you will find your way.
Hugs,
Loretta
Jules, so much going on – so much! Your first comment said a lot. For me, although I know I have been at this a long time, just knowing that being healthier is going to help me long term & help my health as well. Not having health insurance now, it is a good thing I live a healthy life because what we do & what we eat can at least help to mitigate that..
HUGS!
Jules, sorry to hear so much is happening in your life but what a lovely friend you are, caring so much those around you (and your family – and cat).
I agree that worry can zap our energy and motivation to be healthy. I don’t cope well with it at all – usually relying on food to make ‘everything better’. And although it often does… I realise it’s a temporary fix.
Stay safe and healthy!
Deb
Cry out to your Creator. He will listen. He is constant.
so often i worry and fret about people and find out later that their problem has already passed and they’ve moved on but i’ve been worrying away the whole time–for nothing. two of my family members passed away this week within hours of each other and all i can do is worry about my aunt and my mom. not really focusing on how i feel. i also tend to swing to the other side. when i find that i just can’t worry about someone any more and detach myself completely. there seems to be no middle ground. thank you again for the wonderful post. sure you’re not in my brain???
I am also a worrier. So much so that I wrote a book on it to see if doing the research would help. Indeed, it does. But I’m a work-in-progress. You may want to check out my book; I still do. It’s called THE WORRYWART’S PRAYER BOOK. It’s filled with Scripture, affirmations, anecdotes and prayers to help worrywarts get off the worry-go-round and trust God more. My favorite: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” Psalm 46:1, 2.
My husband also coined an adage I love, too. “Let there be no crisis before its time.”
I also have a blog (and I worry that I don’t keep it current enough), called THE WORRYWART’S CORNER, which might help worriers. Meantime, remember, God’s in charge so give all your worries to Him. He’s the only one Who can make any sense of them.
I love this woman’s take on worrying: http://turnonyourlifelight.com/2011/11/take-this-job-and-shove-it/
Thanks for the link karen…….awesome post
You know what? It seems like the beginning of 2012 — a year that is supposed to be so great for transformation of ourselves and the planet — is being incredibly challenging. And it’s really, really hard not to worry about — well — everything. Jules, it sounds like you are being blasted from every direction.
I’ve only discovered two things that have helped me when I get into my worry mind. One is meditation — if I’m not too far stuck into my worry groove. If I am, then meditation just becomes more time I end up worrying. The other is to be vigilant and watch my thoughts like a hawk.
When I start to slip into the worry groove at the very beginning, I deliberately and consciously pull myself back out of the groove and then try to force myself to think of something else that is worry-free. I keep doing that over and over and over until finally my mind gives up trying to slip into worry and focuses on something else instead. I call it conscious thinking — or I guess it’s really mindfulness, isn’t it? Not a very sexy technique, but it does seem to work. I don’t worry much any more and, when I do, it doesn’t last long. And the really big stuff I turn over to my Higher Power. That too has gotten easier with practice.