The Worry Cure

Worry – According Merriam-Webster, the word “worry” originated in the British language and originally applied to choking or strangling.  Appropriate, given the power that we often give worry in our lives.  We allow our imaginations to run free with the multitude of worries that torment and assail our thoughts daily choking out any potential positive vibes.  Left unchecked, worry can rob us of peace, happiness, and progress, while derailing our lives into a vicious, incapacitating cycle- worry- fear-paralyzation. This fear can become the center of our lives, the plumb line from which our decisions originate and are controlled.

It’s one thing to apply wisdom to avoid unpleasant consequences in life- like putting on a seat belt when you get in a car, but it’s another thing altogether when we avoid interacting with others out of fear of being judged, or focus obsessively on a concern we have no control over to the detriment of our quality of life. When worry distracts us from the life around us and starts pulling the puppet strings of our mind, we need to take notice and take control.  We have the ability to control our thoughts, derail the runaway worry train, and put ourselves back in charge of the destination of our thoughts.  We often want to claim we don’t have control of our thoughts, and perhaps for brief moments we don’t, but we most certainly do have the ability to transform our thoughts into productive, deliberate creations.

I should know, I’ve allowed worrisome thoughts to accomplish all the above listed attrocities and more, but I have found a few strategies that are extremely effective in taking control of  my thoughts so that I can be consumed with the life around me rather than the anxiety fed by my worries.

1. Find a Bible verse that speaks to you on the heart of your worry, and repeat it over and over until it plays like a song you can’t get out of your head.  Your brain is an amazing organ capable of much more than we realize, but it isn’t very good at multi-tasking.  If we  truly focus on the words of the verse we are reciting, your brain will not be able to fixate on the worry that our enemy the devil keeps taunting us with.  This technique is especially effective if the verse is spoken out loud.  Of course, an equally valuable side-benefit is that a verse is planted in your heart, and your soul is reminded of the truth of God’s Word that never returns empty (Isaiah 55:11).  This technique has honestly been my lifeline in the absolute worst moments of my life.  Below are some of my favorite “worry chaser” go-to’s, but the Bible is full of wisdom when it comes to this joy stealer; check out a Concordance or Google to find a verse that speaks wisdom and peace to your heart.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

  2.  The Bible also gives us a hint in Philipians 4:6-7, above,  about my second favorite worry demolishment technique– thanksgiving.  As I alluded to previously, our brains really are not designed to intensely focus on multiple tasks simultaneously.  When we express gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving, we pretty much kick worry to the curb.  If I deliberately concentrate and search for blessings and transform my thoughts into thankfulness, it is impossible to simultaneously obsess over my worries.  There are blessings around us every second of every day.  Do you have a loved one in good health? Be thankful.  Will you be able to put food in front of your family today? Express gratitude.  Did you hear your favorite song, see a gorgeous flower, smell the top of an infant’s head? Praise God for the minute, but delicious, micro- miracles we take for granted each second.

3.  Pray for others. My third favorite worry-crushing technique is to pray for the needs of others.  I’ve found this to be a fast-track to humility because it often reminds me that my problems are minor compared to the struggle of others that God has placed in my thoughts and in my heart.  You don’t have to look long or far to find God’s blessings in your life, and unfortunately you won’t have to look hard or far to find someone in the midst of circumstances that would benefit from prayer.  Suffering is part of life and part of being human; it does not discriminate based on gender, age, race, or socio-economic status.  Everyone you meet, have ever met, or will ever meet,  is suffering in some way- some just more visibly than others.  Pray for them, it makes your self-focused worry shrink in the shadow of  other’s needs.

4.  Finally, the grand-finale of worry busters- TRUST.  Pray to God regarding your worry, then leave your worry at the feet of God.  The one and only God; the one and only who can do anything about this palpable worry you’ve allowed such prominence in your life.  The verses above leave no room for alternate interpretations of God’s thoughts regarding the role worry should play in our day to day lives.  Worry is to have no part in a Christian’s life.  We are to give it to God and trust Him with our worries, our anxieties, and everything else that the multitude of concerns left to run amok in our brains manages to produce. When you step back and think about it, why would we want to do anything else?  What do we have to gain by holding tight to something as repugnant to God as distrust?  Why not treat the ugliness and stench of worry like a hot potato and follow God’s instructions to toss it quickly to Him?  Holding on to our worries like a cherished possession doesn’t solve any problems; rather it magnifies them, glorifies them, and stifles any potential creative problem solving that could potentially take place.  I’ve never been able to personally transform a worry into something wonderful, or managed to evaporate it into space- but I’ve certainly seen God accomplish that and more with my worries, anxieties, troubles,  and those of others.  Give it a try- what do you have to lose?