One of these days I will finally learn that worrying does no good. Either that, or I have to do a better job of picking what I will worry about. What I worry about the most turns out to be a non-issue. Other things occur that make we wish I had worried about them sooner, or at least given them some forethought.
Forethought, planning – those are good things, right? Maybe I could get by with those labels if I could get rid of the anxiety that goes with them.
Anxiety is the culprit in worrying. It robs us of the ability to enjoy the present fully. It influences our thinking and acting in negative ways. It makes trust almost impossible.
Is there a pill for that? Probably. We have learned a lot about the relationship between feeling and the chemicals in our brains. Ever since mankind learned to drink coffee, brew beer or smoke whatever, we have experienced the effects of drugs on our brains and emotions.
However, repeated actions are also capable of altering our ability to trust. Thank you, Pavlov.
Perhaps the ultimate solution to worry is to experience trustworthiness and to accept it. That’s why the faithfulness of God is set before us so often in sacred texts.
A good place to start with that, besides trusting God, is with being trustworthy to ourselves. What does that look like? Keeping the promises we make to ourselves can condition us to trust our own coping ability. We learn we are capable of incredible self discipline and self reward.
At the very least it will give me one less thing to worry about. Me.