I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the benefits of worry and have decided to make a list:
As you can see, there aren’t any benefits. Worry is almost exclusively about projecting an event that has not yet happened into the future, taking you away from the present moment.
Mindfulness and Presence
The Rinpoches (advanced lamas) say: “Worrying about the future is like fishing in a dry gulch.” There is nothing to catch. Focusing entirely on the task at hand—Mindfulness—is the state where worry has little to no effect.
The Power of Choice
One of the first things we forget in our accelerated techno-civilization is that we have a choice in how we respond to our own thoughts.
Separating Emotion from Thought: Thoughts come and go like clouds. We tend to mix them with emotions (like dread). If you can separate them, you can feel the emotion but choose a different one—like joy—while letting the thoughts drift by unattached.
Practice: Paramahansa Yogananda speaks of the joy of knowing God within you at all times. Even if you aren’t “spiritual,” choosing joy is doable, though it takes effort and practice.
The Cost of Worry
Worry is surrendering your power to a future that does not exist. It takes you off your spiritual center. Imagine holding a child or a beloved—would you sacrifice that precious moment for a worry?
Tools for Mastery
If you have difficulty moving away from worry, create an “arsenal” of positive mindfulness tools:
Inspirational passages
Pictures or memes
Real-life examples of people mastering the moment
Breathe. Focus. Re-ground. You think your thoughts, but you are not your thoughts. You are a spirit beyond space and time, experiencing a physical presence. You always have a choice.
