Is Worry Controlling Your Life?
http://m.livescience.com/36259-anxiety-linked-high-iq.html
There is a fine line between consideration and criticism, between deliberation and worrying- a line we cross so often, that we may not even realize when doing so. If you could sit and measure the amount of time you spend worrying about things- work, home, relationships, finances, ambitions, dreams, fears and failures- no matter how optimistic you may be in character, you are sure to be surprised by the results. Without realizing, each of us engages in an inner mental battle, attempting to ward off the many worries we ourselves birth. Infact worrying is more second nature to us than we ever realize. Many see worrying as a vital mental exercise that allows us to be real and in touch with the challenges before us. But a reality check holds no tone to it- positive or negative; it is simply a neutral and honest assessment of the parameters at hand. Worrying on the other hand dwells in a negative mindset, bereft of hope or optimism. And therefore lays its inherent failing. Worrying moves us from embracing the challenges at hand, to hyperventilating over them. You see when we worry, we are focused not on the possible solutions or way out, but on just how big or great our difficulties are. With our energies invested in being overwhelmed instead of springing into action, worrying cripples us instead of empowering us. What begins as an attempt at bringing a situation under control ends us controlling us. What's worse is that worrying becomes addictive. We misidentify love, devotion and even success with it, worrying about anything and everything under the Sun. With no timeline or boundaries to valid worries, we worry about tomorrow and the far future, we worry about ourselves and for those around us. We worry as no action or effort feels complete without it. The result- worry begins to control our life!
But the real problem with worrying too much isn’t just how it influences and traps our mental dialogues and perspective in an endless cycle of nays and cant’s. It also paralyses us from stepping up and taking action, thereby limiting our chances of resolution, progress or success. So how do you know if worry is controlling your life? The answers lie in your inner dialogue, as well as the conversations you have with those around you. Next time you are engaged in frantic thought or dialogue, pause and observe your own thoughts and ideas- if you see what could go wrong, and tend to dwell there, long before you turn to a more positive outlook, you may be giving more fuel to worries than is good for you. If these thoughts and ideas make it impossible you to choose or act, to be sure of yourself or your decisions, then it’s time to dial down the worrying and give positive thinking a shot.