I do hope you had a relaxing festive break, and that 2023 has got off to a good start.
When I sent out my last nudge about worry these two in the photo were only small pups, and I was predicting that life would never be the same again.
Well, I can happily report I was absolutely right, and we are loving having them as part of the family – there is no end to the joy they give us on a daily basis!
Living in a state of worry
My musings about worry certainly resonated, and it was good to read all your comments and thoughts on the subject. I don’t think you need to be a mind reader to see that many are still living in a state of worry this year. And very often for one of those key reasons I spoke of, which is our innocent habit of wanting to predict the future. In the case of the puppies it’s great to be proved right, but less so when we get caught up in negative thinking about imagined futures or worst case scenarios.
Knowing vs predicting
There is a huge difference between making up predictions about anything, and that sense of just knowing what you want to do, see happen or take place. Not least the difference in feeling and energy. For me, the former can come with streams of unhelpful thinking, which can feel stressful, tense, uncomfortable and immobilising. Where the latter just feels right and comes with a feeling of clarity, calm, and common sense, innate knowing of what best to do, or the next steps to take.
As the saying goes, when you know you know and there is such an ease that accompanies that.
Less thinking not more
We are so conditioned to get busy thinking when we have a difficult situation, issue or problem, but I’ve found that to be so counter productive. Not only is it a sure fire way to ratchet up the worry levels, but, more importantly, it takes us in the opposite direction of our quieter knowing. Left alone, any stirred up thinking will settle down, and when it does it leaves room for those quieter nudges of fresh thought, out of the blue ideas and common sense wisdom to flow.
Listening for, and then following, those knowing nudges has become such a way of life now, and I encourage you to notice the difference for yourself. Next time you start to have worrying thoughts, just see what happens when you leave that thinking alone. And I don’t mean getting busy with trying to manage or reframe your thoughts, or doing anything at all with them…that just continues the cycle. Rather, just as best you can, leave them alone and you’ll see how much more quickly they pass through.
As the thought dissipates, the uncomfortable feelings will naturally dissipate too. Then, from that calmer state of mind, you’ll leave space for your knowing to come through. Nothing on the outside might have changed, but everything on the inside feels different.
I hope this is helpful. As always, please don’t take my word for it, but see for yourself, and I’d love to hear what you notice.
All the best for now
Tam
Less Worry Challenge
An idea has been percolating to share more about why I, and the people I work with, no longer find ourselves worrying so much these days, and how that has given us so much more time, energy and peace of mind. So, in the spirit of following my knowing, I’d love to hear from you if you tend to worry, overthink, or just feel you’re currently living with a low hum of stress and would love to experience life without that this year. Just email me and I’ll be in touch.