Uncertainty is an undeniable fact of existence — life often requires us to tackle complex situations, in which many factors are beyond our control. Faced with such uncertainty, our mind often defaults toward an unhealthy tendency: worrying.
When we worry, we fixate on things beyond our control. As we endlessly agonize over all the ways things may turn out negatively, we subject ourselves to far more distress than necessary. We may even sentence ourselves to unwarranted disempowerment and even unbearable discouragement.
How can we combat such unhealthy worrying? By activating our intelligence to implement a three-pronged strategy:
- Note the things our mind tends to worry about: By reviewing the things we worried about in the past, we can note: when did one of two things happen? When did the problems we worried about not happen at all? Or even when they did happen, when did they turn out to be not as bad as we had feared?
- Analyze which battles are necessary to fight: Which problems are realistic probabilities that we need to prepare for? And which problems are far-fetched scenarios that are like bridges we can cross if we come to them?
- Evaluate which battles are taking how much toll on us: Is worrying about problems harming us more than the problems themselves? Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (18.35) underscores that constant fearfulness and moroseness are characteristics of perverted determination, toxically infected by ignorance.
Through such strategic use of our intelligence, we can expose the folly and futility of worrying, thereby convincing ourselves to reform our mind’s tendency to worry. For such reforming, Gita wisdom provides us both profound insights and potent practices: insights about our indestructible spiritual identity and practices to connect with the eternally unchanging and endlessly benevolent Divinity, Krishna.
Summary:
Are we worrying about imaginary problems while forgetting that the worrying is the real problem?
Think it over: .
- How may worrying hurt us more than the problem we are worrying about?
- To expose the worrying tendency, what are the three strategic uses of our intelligence?
- Which of these strategies can you apply for combating some habitual worry of yours?
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18.35: And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion – such unintelligent determination, O son of Prutha, is in the mode of darkness.
Audio explanation of the article is here: https://gitadaily.substack.com/p/worrying-about-imaginary-problems
To know more about this verse, please click on the image
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