Feeling Worried About the Future?

Try becoming curious instead.

I have a bunch of people in my life right now going through stressful situations ranging from dying loved ones to cancer and everything in between. Let alone all the crazy stuff that’s happening in the world these days.

When empathizing with one friend about the litany of things she was dealing with, the only thing I could think of to say was, “Isn’t life interesting?”

We both cracked up laughing, as we agreed yes, it is quite interesting, as we discussed the timing of all of these very stressful events happening at once.

But then, as we took an interest in it, we could see some of the reasons why the situations happened as they did. We could discuss them from a curious place rather than a reactive one.

I have a history of having panic attacks, which thankfully I’ve mostly overcome. I become light headed and shaky — like been on a bender shaky. So when it happens I immediately want it to stop.

What’s the best way to make something NOT stop? Keep thinking about it!

The last time I had a surprise stressor pop up in my life, the panic returned. I was embarrassed by the spacey jitteriness that would overtake my body seemingly out of nowhere, and I began to constantly worry about it happening. Par for the course, I kept finding myself in this panicked state.

As days went on with this persistent feeling, persistent mostly because of my resistance, I finally decided to take an interest in it.

What could I do, besides trying unsuccessfully not to think about it, to make the feelings subside?

Immediately caffeine came to mind. I love to drink coffee but can be sensitive to it — I had been drinking a lot of it around this time. I also hadn’t been getting to bed on time or doing much in the way of exercise.

OK, now there were some action steps I could take!

I cut down on the coffee in favor of herbal tea and extra green juice. I got to bed a little bit earlier. I took a few long walks and got myself to a yoga class.

Lo and behold, I felt better!

Two things happened as I became curious instead of worried.

One, I gave myself something else to focus on. Two, I took care of myself.

Taking care of myself gave me clarity and allowed me to more skillfully deal with the stressful event that popped into my life.

But best of all, being aware of what was happening and then curious about it, allowed me to consciously choose a better feeling state; to consciously choose to accept what was happening in the moment but not to dwell on it.

When we look at something, no matter what it is, with a curious nature it helps to shift the reactive mind — the mind that makes mountains out of molehills, and then blows them up.

So the next time a stressful event interjects itself into your life, take a step back, cock your head to the side, and think, well, isn’t that interesting! And then proceed to take action from the creative state of curiosity.

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