So New Zealand - the land of my birth -
Has a potato shortage.
On the surface this is no big deal,
But when you realise no potato means no crunchy salted crispy chippy goodness …
It becomes a HUGE deal.
As if I needed any more proof that the world is going to end, and soon.
(Don't go there - I'm just joking on that one)
BUT -
When you have a love of salted potato products that I do,
Even reading about a possible shortage on the other side of the world,
Could lead to a certain amount of lip trembling anxiousness.
The fear of missing out or being denied or having something taken away is strong, is it not?
It doesn’t matter what it’s about, but the mere idea of lack can keep you up at night,
Sweating profusely at the thought of it.
“What if?” is the device we torture ourselves with.
When I was a kid I was profoundly disturbed to read that scientists thought the world was going to end, that one day it would no longer exist.
I asked my mum, and she explained that it won’t happen for many thousands of years,
And anyway: “What could we actually do about a rogue meteor?”
Such wisdom.
If worrying about anything could help, the world would be in excellent hands.
But worrying about tomorrow denies you of today, doesn’t it?
It’s not useful in any way, shape or form.
Worry is a pattern, a habit …
And even though worry may feel like it can be automatic some times,
As in it has some momentum,
It can be a slippery slope that once you get started it’s hard to stop,
The fact is:
You can learn to create another habit.
You can choose to do something differently.
First step is being aware when you’re worrying about something you have zero control over right now.
Is there anything you CAN do right now?
I could stock up on chips and crisps, otherwise the potato shortage is a fact of nature.
I can’t do anything about it beyond stopping torturing myself by thinking about it.
Sometimes even putting all of it down on paper,
Or chatting it over with a understanding compadre can REALLY help.
Because it gets it out of your head -
In your head it can seem perfectly reasonable,
Out in the open means you have that half step back,
That perspective you need to realise that in no way is it a reasonable concern.
Then you spend your energy working on what you can actually secure,
Where you CAN find stability.
OK?
I’m on a roll so I’m going to talk more about this tomorrow.
I may even make a video.
But getting on top of worry was one of the reasons I learnt to meditate.
I wanted an end to all the unnecessary worry and anxiety I knew I was inflicting on myself.
And it worked.
If I can do it, I figure you can do it to.
If you're interested in doing something about worry, here's a FREE guide to getting freedom of choice over your own thoughts:
https://arjunaishaya.leadpages.co/sane-fb
If you have any questions, let me know - otherwise tune in tomorrow and we’ll talk more about this -
Because it’s important.
Til then, go well!
Arjuna