#55 - Worry Pretends To Be Necessary

One of my favorite authors, Eckhart Tolle, is quoted saying “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose”.  The first time I read that statement I was confused and excited at the same time thinking things like:

• As a mother, isn’t part of my job to worry?
• Isn’t it naïve to assume everything will be fine and that there’s no need to worry?
• If it’s true that worry isn’t necessary then why am I doing it all the time?
• How will problems be solved if I don’t worry first?
• How can I learn to stop worrying?

First, it’s important to understand that the human mind is a problem-solving machine.  Every invention you have the privilege of living with was created by the power of someone’s problem-solving mind.

However, there is a big difference between problem-solving and worrying.  Problem-solving invites answers and solutions to questions and worrying invites pain and discomfort in addition to more questions.

Second, worry is focused on things that could happen in the future.  For mothers, worry is one of those emotions that we tell one another we should experience without realizing the ramifications. 

This week I’m going to discuss what worry really is, why you worry and how to stop.