Our Weird Addiction to Fear, Worry and Overthinking.
Why do we insist on ruminating over our problems so much?
We all have this weird subconscious belief that fear keeps us safe. We believe that if there is a potential problem in our lives when things can possibly go wrong, the best thing that we can do is imagine and calculate all of the possible ways that things can go wrong, because we feel like doing so can help prevent those things from happening.
But… When has the act of worrying ever actually helped you solve the problem? Does living in that fear and in the imagined version of the future where everything goes wrong give you the strength, courage and confidence to act appropriately? Or does it hold you back from doing the things we need to do to improve our situation?
The version of the future where everything works out just fine for you is equally as real as the version where things go poorly. So, why do we insist on living in the imagined version of the future that’s terrible?
The weird thing about fear of the future is that we’re taking potential future pain and translating it into pain that we’re experiencing right here in the moment. Fear doesn’t feel good and doesn’t help. We’re actually choosing to suffer in the moment because of the possibility that we might suffer in the future. It makes no logical sense.
And the real irony is that the more that we bring that future fear and future pain into the moment, the more likely we will be to end up in that future. Not because of some mystical and etheric form of manifestation where we are supernaturally creating that future world, but because your fear and beliefs in the moment will affect your actions, attitudes and beliefs that help you to create your future.
If right now - in this very moment - you are safe, then why not allow yourself to trust that things will work out?
By doing so, you can show up with a better energy and attitude and take the chances and put in the work to achieve the version of the future you want. Your fear is a reaction… not a solution… and it’s one that you can learn to overcome.
Tags: #anxiety, #overthinking, #fear, #worry.
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Benjy Sherer is a mental health coach and emotional fitness trainer specializing in anxiety and trauma healing. His approach is about bypassing the intellectual analysis of our past traumas and focusing instead on conquering the subconscious cycles that keep us stuck in fear and which prevent us from truly healing our pain.
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