Worry And Its Antidotes

It’s often the heart’s perspective that unlocks the room where you are trapped with your worries running wild.

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Our minds often seem to be looking for something to worry about: “Who will be elected?” “Why is that person coughing?” “What’s that noise?” If we go online, we are continually bombarded with potential fears: a new COVID variant, rising costs, droughts, floods, shootings….

These stories feed right into the part of our brain that is a problem-solver. A useful attribute, but if the brain can’t find a solution to a problem, it gets diverted to the worry channel — the “what if” station, which seems to become particularly active at night when we are tired. Worries about yourself, your loved ones, and the whole world can take over your life if you let them.

So don’t let them.

What’s the antidote, you ask? I find there are many. The key is to remember to be open to them all. Remembering is key. But, the number one step as an antidote to worrying is recognizing you are caught in worrying. That puts the brakes on a downward spiral, and allows you to step sideways into another frame of mind — and heart. I add “heart” because often it’s the heart’s perspective that unlocks the room where you are trapped with your worries running wild.

The heart is an optimist. It sees flowers when you might see poison ivy. It sees love when you are caught in fear or anger. How do you connect to the heart? Take a walk outside in a park or anywhere else where you can see trees, hear birds, look up at the sky. Nature is a major heart connector. I take daily walks to keep myself centered in a positive frame of mind, to live from my heart and not from mental fears. If something difficult does arise, my heart’s spirit guides me through.

Friends and family can also be antidotes. Anyone close to you who is a good listener and can help you realize your worries are not necessarily destined to materialize. In fact, most of the time they don’t. Mark Twain had a great saying, which I used to keep posted above my desk: “I have known a great many troubles in my life, most of which never happened.” Perfect description of how our minds make our worries seem real, when they aren’t. They are passing thoughts, which may or may not take form. Why waste time — and your life — focusing on them?

I’ve continued to learn new ways over the years to divert my mind when it goes into worry overdrive. Music that lifts my heart helps, like “I Am Light” by India.Arie. And poetry — Mary Oliver’s poem “I Worried” is the perfect worry antidote. Walking helps. Nature helps. Meditation and yoga. Every morning I listen to Panache Desai’s free online meditation “Call to Calm.” Sometimes it’s a favorite sitcom rerun on TV, or eating healthy food I love, especially cherries, grapes, and avocados. The kindness of those close to me who listen and reassure me with simple words like, “Yes, I understand.”

There are countless ways to find positivity in your daily life, relieve yourself of your worry burden, and open your heart in the process. When your heart is open and really connected to life’s wonders and beauty, worries fade to the background, and may even disappear entirely! And if they return tomorrow in different guises, you will always have your choice of effective antidotes at hand.

Peggy Kornegger is the author of four books: Living with Spirit (2009); Lose Your Mind, Open Your Heart (2014); Inside the Rainbow (2021), and her latest Breast Cancer and Beyond—An Unexpected Soul Path (2024). She writes a biweekly blog at http://www.spirit-flower.com.