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Gigi Langer

Worry Less Now!

 Love More Now!

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7 Tips to Stop the Nasty Voice in Your Head

Do you have a voice in your head that incessantly whispers lies of impending doom or replays past events in the hope of changing them?

It might sound like this: “I always…(fail, am rejected, sabotage my success)” OR “If only he or she would (fill in the blank), we would all be okay.“

Although I used to hear this voice often, over the years I’ve learned to turn such negative thoughts into positive ones. Here are a few tips that might help you do the same.

  1. Notice how the voice in your head causes tension in your body and perhaps emotions of anger, pain, frustration, envy, or a need for security, recognition or love.
  2. Stand apart from the thoughts and feelings, as if you’re on a balcony observing them. Do NOT condemn them.
  3. Breathe slowly and deeply until your body calms down. Withdraw your attention from your worrying and focus on your breathing.
  4. Recognize who is watching the thoughts. It’s a part of your mind independent of your thoughts and emotions. This is your true self (higher self, God-mind, etc). It is greater, stronger, and wiser than the imagined disturbances.
  5. Make a choice: Do you want to stay in the drama of the fear-filled voices in your head, or do you want to experience peace and happiness?
  6. Write your mind’s false messages in a journal. Notice that many of them predict one of two horrible things: 1) past pain will repeat itself, or 2) the future will be disastrous. KNOW THAT NONE OF THESE IS TRUE.
  7. Dissolve your mind’s lies by using meditation, affirmations, prayer, therapy, yoga, inspirational reading, groups, energy work, or any other method to connect with the goodness and light of your true self.

As you refuse to believe the fearful voice in your head, sooner or later the answers to your troubles will appear in the most amazing way and for the best of all involved.

HOW DO YOU CALM YOUR OWN NEGATIVE THOUGHTS? I’d love to hear from you!

GIGI LANGER is the former “Queen of Worry” whose award-winning book, 50 Ways to Worry Less Now, rates 4.7 stars on Amazon. She holds a PhD from Stanford University in Psychology in Education.

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Put on the Wings of Your True Self

Have your wings been broken because you flew too close to the ground? 

The image of the angel crashing to the ground is all-too familiar for those of us who have faced illness, addiction, codependency, loss, or other hardships.

And there we lay, broken and miserable, unable to rise again.

If we’re open and willing, however, soon the curative power of love appears, and we rise and rise, until we again fly on toward our dreams.

Then we reach down and help the next angel repair her broken wings, so she can soar in freedom with us.

Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to The Ground” paints it so beautifully. I like this performance on YouTube because, altho’ a bit grainy, it shows some nice close-ups of him singing with wonderful expression. Give it a listen!

Click here to hear Willie sing it.https://youtu.be/c4zkBpFOB_w



LYRICS: ANGEL FLYING TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND
If you had not fallen, then I would not have found you,
Angel flying too close to the ground.
I patched up your broken wing, and hung around a while.
Tried to keep your spirits up, and your fever down.
I knew someday that you would fly away,
For love’s the greatest healer to be found.

So leave me if you need to, ‘cuz I will still remember, 
Angel flying too close to the ground.
Fly on, fly on past the speed of sound;
I’d rather see you up, than see you down.
Leave me if you need to; ‘cuz I will still remember,
Angel flying too close to the ground.
wings of true self worry less now

When I first got sober and fell in love with this song, I found the beautiful little figurine shown near the title above.

When one of her wings broke, I repaired it with loving care (you can see the crack between her wings here). Later, as I received the healing power of recovery, I could feel my tiny wings begin to sprout.

Over the years, they grew and grew until I took on the challenge of writing “Worry Less Now.”

To complete that project, I needed a really BIG set of wings. And God provided.
Here are the life-sized ones that live with me right here in my office. Every once in a while, I don them and prance around, giving thanks for Love’s healing power.

How connected are you with your true self, the you that lies in your heart, not your head? Your true self is unfettered by old wounds; it’s courageous, generous, and powerful enough to fulfill your dreams.

And it has WINGS!!

Gigi Langer

Gigi Langer, PhD has helped thousands of people improve their lives at home and at work. She’s written several books for educators, and is a sought-after speaker and workshop leader.  Gigi holds a doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education  and an MA in Psychology, both from Stanford.

Worry Less Now Cover

To learn more ways to reject negative thinking, order a personalized SIGNED COPY of my award-winning book, 50 Ways to Worry Less Now here.   Amazon (4.7 stars), Barnes and Noble, and e-book formats. AUDIOBOOK COMING SOON!

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ENJOY LIFE—UNFETTERED BY THE PAST!

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

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HOW TO REJECT “Worry, Worry, Worry . . .”

worrying dog

This darling commercial features a dog who buried his bone, and then worried so much about its safety, he couldn’t leave it alone. The soundtrack is “Worry, worry, worry” from the Ray LaMontagne song, “Trouble”. Here’s the link.

DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL LIKE THIS POOR, WORRIED LITTLE DOG?

More than 20 percent of us struggle with anxiety. On average, we spend about 300 minutes a day worrying, a condition linked with cardiac, emotional, and other health problems.

Worries tell us, “Watch out!” Sometimes, they rightly signal danger. But, what about those unfounded fears that sap our energy and lead to failure, discouragement, and limitation?

THE PROBLEM: OUR THINKING

I call such worries “whispered lies” because they’re mostly false, telling us the pain of our past will repeat itself. For example, “I can’t do this. I’ll fail!” “I don’t deserve love,” or “I can’t be happy if (fill in the blank) happens.”

So, our thinking is the problem, right? But, wait a minute! Our thinking helps us reach important goals: jobs, degrees, repairs, trips, and so on. We set a goal and, if we just try hard enough, we get everything we want, right?

Unfortunately, this linear approach doesn’t always work: Our hearts are broken, we don’t receive a hoped-for promotion, or a loved one is seriously ill. We’re shocked to realize how little control we have over our own lives–and the lives of our loved ones. But we keep trying, right?

We become like that little white dog: We imagine we can fix our troubles by worrying about them. Or, we try to deny them through partying, working long hours, sexual preoccupation, or drugs and/or alcohol.

But these desperate strategies don’t work. The worrying and negativity just multiply, and we become more miserable than before.

WHATS THE SOLUTION?

We can change our faulty thinking by using four life strategies: 1) get honest, 2) claim positive power, 3) make healthy choices, and 4) consistently use growth tools.

If we get honest with ourselves and take responsibility for our own worries, we begin to see that only something bigger than our fears can overcome them–a source of positive power. We might call it Buddha, Courage, the Divine Spark, God, Great Spirit, Awareness, True Self, Universal Intelligence, or any name that works for us.

Next, we choose a new life (perhaps through affirmations and vision boards) and use growth tools to dissolve our whispered lies (e.g. meditation, prayer, energy work, cognitive reprogramming).

THE RESULT

We become expressions of peace (serenity to accept and wait), clarity (wisdom to know what to do and when) and connection (thriving, loving relationships)–no matter what happens in our lives.

To learn how these four life strategies can ease your own troubles, read my award-winning book, 50 Ways to Worry Less Now: Reject Negative Thinking to Find Peace, Clarity, and Connection (Amazon 4.7 stars) available here. (Audiobook due in September)

Worry Less Now

Gigi Langer holds a PhD from Stanford University and is the former “Queen of Worry.” She’s also an educator, a popular speaker, and a person in recovery who hasn’t had a drink or drug for over 33 years.

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