Addressing "It"

Worry and anxiety are voracious energy consumers. They live in the thoughts that wake us up at 2am in the darkness, gnaw at us through the day, and like the news feed at the bottom of a TV screen, relentlessly assault our attempts to stay grounded and focused. If we can isolate those sources of worry and anxiety, clearly identify them, and begin to address them one by one...just imagine the mental, emotional, and creative bandwidth that would be available to us.

What are your current sources of worry and anxiety?

Choose just one.

Perhaps that one that if you could take care of whatever it is, or at least get it to a place that it no longer consumes your thoughts and fuels your fears, you would have more room to breathe. Be able to think more clearly and creatively.

Break it down.

Attack it piece by piece.

You may not be able to totally resolve the issue or complete the task, but making headway in the right direction gets you one step closer.

And just imagine the mental, emotional, and creative bandwidth that will be available to you.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

2:00AM

What is it about 2:00 am?

What if Social Security goes bankrupt in my lifetime?

How will I ever pay off my student loans?

What if we run into a bear on our backpacking trip?

What if I lose my biggest client?

What if I fall asleep in the car tomorrow on the way to my sister’s house?

Will I have enough money to last for the rest of my life?

What if my baby never learns to sleep through the night?

What if no one buys my book?

What if my house doesn’t sell?

Did I drink too much last night?

Where will I live?

What did I do wrong?

What if my test shows that I have cancer?

Am I getting dementia?

Will I ever fit into those jeans again?

These are the thoughts that show up in the middle of the night, and we can’t seem to find our way out of the maze that is fear, worry, anxiety, overwhelm, and hopelessness. While most of those thoughts fade away as a new day dawns, there are those that seem to be repeat guests. As darkness settles around us, they find our vacancy sign turned on, making room for them to crawl in with us again. Instead of enduring another night of tossing and turning, maybe we can recognize such thoughts as a wake-up call. Like an alarm clock, they are a signal meant to wake us up to a need or issue that needs our attention.

Worried about student debt? Call a credit counseling service and make a plan.

Quaking at the thought of a bear in the middle of the trail? Order a can of bear spray.

Ruminating on what you did to cause the rift in a relationship? Go for a walk together and dig a little deeper.

Hate the feeling of those tight jeans? Throw them out, or get on the treadmill.

Whatever it is that keeps us awake at night is best addressed in the light of day.

Photo: Pixabay