Copyright © 2021 Lee Spirit 

This week I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety, worry, and fear over things, and the changes ahead of me. It’s that time of year I get my annual physical exam, changes happening in the workplace, shifting relationships, and budget constraints. These things always send me into a bit of a panic – Not to mention a new variant! Oh boy! Do you ever immediately jump to the worst case scenario about something you’re worried about? Me too! So this week’s post is about how to stop worrying, and keep that worry monster at bay.

Out in nature, the wildlife certainly are not monsters. However, those bears and cougars sure make people fearful about venturing into the woods as if they are! I went to an event last weekend where I chatted with a friend. He, as well as so many others, have always told me how much they admire me for going out alone on hikes like this one to Ha Ling Peak, in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. He said he’s afraid to go because of bears – A legitimate concern. But he has no fear of taking on a potentially risky business venture – which is more inclined to make me fearful!

I mentioned that if you go out there often enough, you get comfortable with it, feel your oneness with nature, and the fear just dissolves away. The wildlife can sense our fear, and are more aggressive if they can sense it. But if there is no fear, we are also “one” with the wildlife, and they leave us alone! My friend said I could apply that to a risky business venture, or anything else I might fear. So very true, and a great insight!

All the Things We Worry About

Worry is a pretty normal thing. I was more anxious in my youth than I am today, and I remember how worked up I got about many things, like job interviews. After I was laid off from my first real job, I was so upset that it seems to have traumatized me for life. Every year at budget time, I think the worst is about to happen again. Whatever you may be worried about, these fears are not wrong or bad – They just are, and they are legitimate, so we must allow them, and feel through the fear.

When Worry Becomes Persistent

It’s when our worries take hold of us, and become persistent and uncontrollable that we need to pay more attention to how we’re feeling inside and why. I admit to being in this state for some time now.

For example, while worried about other things, as soon as a friend left social media, my first thought was that she’s not safe, has been kidnapped in another country, and her identity stolen! I mean, it happens, right?

And then there’s my physical exam. If something is out of range, what do I do? I Google it to find out I could have this terrible disease or organ failure, and basically I’m doomed! Well, that happens too, right?

I also haven’t been getting out much since Covid began – More fear, while everyone else goes out and meets other people as they always have, and remains healthy!

Okay, I may be in a bit of a rut! How to stop worrying when there are worrying things taking place every which way we look? What are you worried, fearful, and anxious about? Please Login to my website, and leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

The Damaging Effects of Untamed Worry, Anxiety, and Fear

When you just don’t know how to stop worrying, it can be harmful to your mental, emotional, and even physical health. It can wear you out, make you feel exhausted, lethargic, irritable, or unable to sleep. It can give you high blood pressure, tummy aches, lack of mental focus, or anxiety disorders, just to name a few!

When we are stuck in this state, and give it all our attention and energy – taking it out on others, or ourselves – we are only feeding the worry monster and making it worse. What do we typically do when our worry is out of control? We self-medicate with alcohol or drugs to take the edge off. Maybe we look to something outside of ourselves for comfort. Perhaps we binge eat, or go on a shopping spree.

What we don’t realize is that these things only provide temporary relief. So when we fall back to our worries and fears, we need another hit of our temporary fix, and we get caught in an endless cycle.

How To Stop Worrying So We Can Be Truly Happy

We don’t want to be stuck in this cycle of worry, self-medication, then back to worry, and back to self-medication. Rather, we want true happiness and joy that is sustainable over time!

Allowing The Feelings To Pass Through

Lifting the weight of worry happens more easily after we have taken note of our worries, fears, and anxiety. We just notice, allow them, and feel through them. This is the first step in letting go – Just being with what is, here and now. What this does is it allows us to create a sense of calm, balance, ease, and flow. From there, we can work on shifting our worry to a more positive perspective.

Regular Yoga, Meditation, and Breath Work

One of the best ways I’ve learned to let go of worry is to meditate and practice yoga regularly.

Kundalini yoga focuses on moving the breath and stagnant energy in the body – I find this particularly useful when there’s built up anxiety, or anger that needs to be released.

A regular practice of any type of yoga (hot yoga is my favourite in the winter months) will give you a good hour or more of focusing on the body movements, breath, and how you feel.

Yin yoga will take you through some mindfulness to bring you into your body where you hold stretches for time – Stretching through the discomfort.

Journal Writing

In addition to moving the body and breath, it may also help to write your worries down. This allows them to go from thought, to paper or computer, where you can leave them and carry on with your day. If you want to go back to it at a later time, you can. By separating the worry from your day, you can focus better on your work or relationships, and only give worry your attention at a certain time. You may also wish to burn this paper, as throwing it in a fire is a form of release.

How To Stop Worrying By Being in Nature

In my kundalini class last night, there was mention of how Mother Nature goes about her thing, humbles us, and never lets us down. When the hurricane comes, it comes. What we can learn from this is that in order to get to a state of sustained, authentic happiness, we must also go through the hurricanes when they come.

One way we can learn to be okay with the hurricane, fires, or floods is to remember the dualities of good and bad, and how we need both. Nothing is ever all good, so we must learn to also be happy through the bad. We need to see the positive in difficult circumstances. If we don’t make room for tragedy, we will be thrown off balance when it comes.

Nature is a great place to go for solace, balance, and grounding. It allows us to experience the shifts in temperature, climates, and seasons. By observing nature’s storms, we can make our way through the storms of our own lives with greater ease. Many of the dangers we think are out there are only what we imagine in our minds. Thus, the main cause of fear is our own mind.

Facing Your Fear of What Lurks in the Dark

Speaking of fears arising as an illusion in our minds, you may be afraid to go out in the dark, even as an adult. These days, crime and violence seem to be on the rise, and closer to home than ever before. I’ve been doing two of my weekly runs in the dark of night. At first, my mind was telling me all kinds of stories of what might happen to me. I could twist my ankle in a hole in the grass that I can’t see in the dark. There may be criminals walking the streets ready to pounce on me. Perhaps a car won’t see me in the dark, and I’ll get run over. These are legitimate concerns, but with prepared caution, I can still go outside and run the same routes I do in the light of summer without worry.

Practice Being in the Dark

How to stop worrying in the darkness? Go outside in the dark, where it’s not too far from home, or not too far from a friend or loved one. Tell someone where you’ll be. Take the extra precautions you need about being seen, and keeping your eyes on the ground so as not to trip. I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now, and have realized it’s actually fun to run in the dark! There are no dangers, and if there are, I am aware of my surroundings and go a different way. I’ve found it quite invigorating, I feel invisible, and it doesn’t have to be for a long time. I have become “one” with the darkness, and conquered my imagined fears!

Remember this little blessing, courtesy of Mark Coleman in his book, “Awake in the Wild” (See References):

“May I be safe and protected, feel free from fear, and live with peace and ease”. Repeating these things to ourselves, and sending it as a blessing to others will surely help to stop the worrying. Darkness isn’t only literal darkness. We have darkness in mind, body, and spirit that we can push through.

Regular Exercise To Stop the Worry Habit

I find it really helps ease worry to just get outdoors for a quick walk, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. This is a great way to get the blood flowing, and the endorphins circulating. It relieves stress, gives you an energy boost, and makes you feel a whole lot better.

Exercise is a great way to interrupt the worry habit. Any distractions from your worry are a good way to let go of it, as long as you are conscious that you are disrupting a bad habit. When we exercise, we start to focus on the breath, the sound of the snow beneath our boots, and the sensation of the air on our skin. Anything that gets us back into the present moment will help to stop the worrying. What do you see, hear, feel, taste, touch, smell, or sense?

How To Stop Worrying By Talking About It

If you have a good friend you can trust who will listen to your worries, without criticism or judgement, then talking to them may decrease the power the worry has over you. Talking with a trusted friend or loved one can ease the discomfort. They are not trying to change or “fix” you. It may allow you to see the humour in the situation and take things less seriously. It’s important to remember that telling some people your worries may only make it worse. Make sure you are not sharing your information with a chronic worrier!

You now have some great suggestions to feel through your fear, and you have a better idea of how to stop worrying. I hope you’ve found this beneficial!

Lee Spirit is an avid outdoors adventurer with a love for nature, photography, health & fitness, wellness, and spirituality. She helps those who suffer from anxiety & negative thinking to become healthier in mind-body-spirit. Her own personal journey has led her to the  study and practice of mindfulness, health, wellness, yoga, spirituality, sound healing, meditation, and personal development for over 20 years. Get mindfulness, meditation, and personal development tips in her Free Natural Mind Healing Report.