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Today's
Meditation:
Right here,
right now. That's where we are, and that's when
we're there. If I'm thinking about tomorrow, there
are tons of things that I can think of to worry
about. Tons. But they truly don't matter,
because I know from experience that most of the things
that I've ever worried about simply haven't come to pass,
so all my worry about them was simply wasted time, time
that I could have been happy and carefree, but that I
spent worried and stressed instead. It's been rather
silly, to be honest.
I
don't fault myself for having done this, as that is-- to a
large extent-- how I was raised. And that tendency
was exacerbated by having an alcoholic parent-- every week
we would spend worrying about what was going to happen
this weekend, because it could get pretty ugly. But
once I was out of that situation, there was no longer any
reason to worry, to fill my mind with anxiety. It
was just a habit that I couldn't break for a very long
time.
So I
want to stay focused on the present, as much to enjoy the
present as to avoid thinking about possible negative
occurrences in the future. I want to keep anxiety at
bay by not keeping my mind on tomorrow or next week.
So much time lies between now and then that it's virtually
impossible to know what's actually going to happen, and
I've learned that even if what happens is relatively bad,
I can still get through whatever life brings me. I
am a resilient person, and I do have the ability to adapt
to new situations and make the most of them rather than
letting them get me down. So if something difficult
comes up tomorrow, I can handle it-- I don't need to worry
about it now.
I do
feel a great deal of sympathy for those who deal with
anxiety regularly and who aren't able to deal with it
effectively. I know that their lives must be
difficult, and they don't have the tools to deal with it
well. I don't see my own ability to deal with
anxiety as an indication that everyone should be able to
do so. But I do know that in my life, anxiety is
pretty much a choice, and I prefer to choose to enjoy
myself and my life, and I will not stay focused on
potential problems of tomorrow when there's so much of the
wonderful around me right here and now.
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