I recently hurt my knee and have been in a lot of pain. My thoughts immediately returned to my many years of limitation and anguish with two frozen shoulders. I was terrified this experience would be the same.
Unfortunately, the mind uses the past to predict the future. If our past was painful, we tend to see pain lurking around every corner.
Such hyper-vigilance causes stress, cardiac problems, gastric difficulties, depression, and a variety of other ailments.
WE CAN REPROGRAM OUR MINDS
The good news is, filling our minds with peaceful, positive thoughts dissolves our old fears. But, these new thoughts must be fed to the mind over and over again.
For example, a daily gratitude list or morning meditation teaches the mind to expect better things. Mantras, affirmations, visualization, the Golden Key (explained here), and consistent prayer do the same.
Finally, choose wisely when sharing your tough times with others.
PICK YOUR CONFIDANTS CAREFULLY
(See this post for more detail.) Avoid those who keep focusing on the upsetting situation, talk only about themselves, or suggest immediate action.
Instead, choose caring, healthy people who guide you to become calm so you can access the strength and wisdom of your “positive power.” (More about that here).
As we use such practices to calm our fears, we realize the past has no control over us, so we don’t need to fear the future. We’ll begin to relax and enjoy life—revel in it, even!
PS: I’M SO GLAD I WROTE THIS to remind myself of the truth. I am not a victim of my past! All is well. My knee will heal in God’s time. And truth be told, I DID need to slow down a little!
Gigi Langer is a former “Queen of Worry” who writes, speaks, and encourages others to overcome their worries, addictions, and negative thinking. Her PhD is from Stanford University.
Get Gigi’s award-winning book, “50 Ways to Worry Less Now” (4.7 stars Amazon). Discounted signed copy at GigiLanger.com/buy
