Grab Worry by the Neck!
We need to use words differently to describe our feelings.
Why?
Because there is so much that is abstract with the terms that we use, that sometimes, it does not give us real clarity on what we can actionably do about it.
What we need is a simple description of anything we are going through, that can point us in the way of taking steps within our own power to make a difference in our personal experience and state of mind.
For example, the word ‘worry’. By itself it means nothing.
When you expand upon it and use terms like anxiety or unease, it starts to take on some meaning, but still does not go any way letting us know what we can do about it.
And we really need to do something about it!
So that is why there is no cure for worry. Because the word itself means nothing; and the only thing you can do about nothing, is nothing.
DIVIDED-MIND
Credit to Paul McKenna: I watched a short video where he describes the word ‘worry’ being derived from ancient Greek and was more described as a state of ‘Divided-Mind’.
It means that your mind is moving between two different thought patterns that are unable to be reconciled at that time.
Now, when we hear this, suddenly we are aware of the dynamics and mechanics of what is actually going on. We actually have stuff to play with and manipulate, like a machine with parts and buttons we can push.
We can act, instead of suffering passively.
That immediately struck a note with me! Why?
Because -
- I Now Know Where It Is Happening i.e., in my thoughts (which is tangible because you can identify one thought from another, and we can grasp them like objects)
- I Also Now Know What I Can Do About It i.e., it is divided (it is at polar opposites to each other, so now I know where they are and take steps based on their state of being)
ACTION STEP
Stop Saying I am Worried. Instead, say, I have a ‘Divided Mind’.
Like a fork in the road, my thoughts are moving in different directions from each other. And so, if I liken my mind to a road, there appears to be only two options — right or left.
I cannot reconcile them. Therefore, what do I do?
We do not have to have them kiss and make up. At the fork in the road, we can take the third route i.e., We can refuse to engage.
I take the third option i.e. I stay where I am, in the middle.
I practice mindfulness and stay where I am in a state of ‘no thought’. I take the middle path. Where the path is still one.
And I focus my attention on this and expect that, with intentional attention on a state of ‘un-divided mindfulness’, an answer will come.
CONCLUSION
It starts by using the correct words, in the correct way, in the correct context. If a picture can speak a thousand words, just imagine what a thousand wrong words could do.
We have to take our power back.
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Thanks for reading!
