Do anxious thoughts control you?

Anxiety is not an uncommon occurrence. However, it becomes a problem when our anxious thoughts prevent us from performing routine tasks or keep us from pursuing our dreams and goals.

Feeling anxious starts as a thought. The anxiety generated by a thought can come so quickly that sometimes we cannot discern which one came first. Feelings are like a built-in GPS. They let us know when our thinking is on track or off track. Deviant feelings keep us revved up, angry, fearful, and tense. We cannot think clearly and we shut down. Directed thoughts energize us in a focused, but not frantic way. When our thoughts are on the right track, we feel peaceful, happy, grateful, we have compassion for those around us and we are more creative.

If something that happened in the past is haunting you or holding you hostage, I can imagine the stress you are feeling. I have experienced it myself. If you are tired of the limitation of a past experience in your life, I hope it opens your mind to the possibility that the path to freedom lies within you.

The past is but shadows on a wall. It only exists in our thoughts. We get into trouble when we drag a past event into the present and treat it as if it were happening today. A painful memory that controls us to the point that we cannot leave our home, or do the things we want to do, indicates that we are focusing too much energy on something that is nothing more than a thought.

We misuse the wonderful gift of thought, when we use it to torture, frighten and paralyze us. We put ourselves in a state of distress when we pay too much attention to our thoughts or take them too seriously. We blame ourselves for past mistakes and then wonder why we feel bad.

So what can we do with the thoughts that cause us distress? Should we replace them with positive thoughts? Try to do that, but I think it’s too much work. Actually, troublesome thoughts will evaporate on their own, when we don’t pay attention to them. When we stop paying so much attention to the thoughts that scare us, our anxiety will lessen, maybe even disappear. It is easy.

You know as well as I do that paying attention to the thoughts that cause you anxiety does not benefit you at all. Chances are, focusing on those thoughts will have the opposite impact on your well-being. It’s not about letting go of unpleasant thoughts, it’s about not holding on to them in the first place. I know it sounds too simple, but give it a try. You have nothing to lose except your anxiety.