Letting go of worry and creating balance

Ellie Brown

How many times have you been anxious and worried and you ended up sabotaging your own goals, dreams, balance, and alignment... all for what?

Crossing the stream On a recent trip to the mountains I came to a place on the trail where I had to cross a creek over a fallen tree/ log. This looked only slightly intimidating at first and I started to cross one foot at a time, one step followed by another. The first part of the log was over a dry part of the creek with tall soft grass under it but as I crossed further, it was not only farther to the bottom where the creek lay, but there was also rushing water under me and some rather large daunting rocks. At first as I crossed over the grass my confidence remained in tact and I was balancing quite nicely as I walked, but as soon as I realized there were large rocks and moving water below I got shakier and towards the end of the log I faltered and had to put my hand down on the fallen tree for balance support. Luckily I was able to right myself enough to get to the other side of the creek unscathed. I found this variation of feelings to be fascinating. Nothing had changed about the log and I was the same person as I made the entire crossing. What had changed? The Rhythm of Balance My focus had shifted. When my surroundings felt safer I was able to focus more fully on my balance and alignment in the moment as each step happened. I also had a nice momentum going and that rhythm was also in alignment with a successful crossing. As I came to realize that my outside environment had shifted I lost my focus on alignment and balanced rhythmic movements, and instead my imagination took over and I began to play my fears out in my head: what if I fell on one of those sharp rocks and broke my ribs? What if I fell into the rushing water and was swept away? What if...? What if...? What if...? In that moment of doubt I followed my instinctual brain function that is triggered by fear, I forgot my capabilities and my confidence faltered. In all truth I was completely capable of crossing the log without incident but I became anxious and worried about what might happen. This worry actually caused me to be more susceptible to what I feared. How many times have you been anxious and worried and you ended up sabotaging your own goals, dreams, balance, and alignment... all for what? Anticipate your triggers and have a plan of action. So what can we do to maintain our focus and stay balanced? First of all we can learn to recognize what triggers our anxiety and what it feels like when we are triggered. In the story of my log I was triggered by my fear of falling and my symptoms were shakiness and faltering. If I were to walk over the log again and realize ahead of time how I would probably be triggered I could prepare and eventually maintain my focus and alignment as I crossed. Process your life by letting go So once we know what triggers us to become anxious or worried we can use healthy practices that help us process those feelings and release them. For instance I could breathe deeply as I took each step while keeping my pace and footing steady... Healthy methods of processing life So what does processing life look like? How can I create regular healthy life processing habits? Maybe it means setting aside time each day for introspection on your day and what feelings are coming to the fore regarding what is happening. A meditation or prayer practice combined with time to just sit with your emotions can do a lot to ease anxiety that builds up when we repress feelings about life. If you have a creative hobby like music or art you can practice that hobby as a form of processing life. You can create out of the energy that may be trapped inside and make beautiful creative projects that can not only help you process, but be a blessing and joy to others. Any outlet that is meaningful to you can be used as a Life-processing tool. Once you are in a healthy cycle of processing you can more easily cope with stresses that arise unexpectedly. In letting go you can function on a whole new level as a balanced individual and lead a more joy filled journey!