How to deal with worry (3)
Dealing with worry (Part 3)
Source: The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You by Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D.
For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you."
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Our mind can be our worst enemy. Our thinking can lead us into the minefield of fear, anxiety and worry. Here are some wrong thinking that can lead us into anxiety and worry: |
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All-or-nothing thinking |
Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground (“If I fall short of perfection, I’m a total failure.”) |
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Overgeneralization |
Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever (“I didn’t get hired for the job; I’ll never get any job.”) |
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The mental filter |
Focusing on the negatives while filtering out all the positives. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right. |
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Diminishing the positive |
Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count (“I did well on the presentation, but that was just dumb luck.”) |
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Jumping to conclusions |
Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader (“I can tell she secretly hates me.”) or a fortune teller (“I just know something terrible is going to happen.”) |
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Catastrophizing |
Expecting the worst-case scenario to happen (“The pilot said we’re in for some turbulence. The plane’s going to crash!”) |
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Emotional reasoning |
Believing that the way you feel reflects reality (“I feel frightened right now. That must mean I’m in real physical danger.”) |
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'Shoulds’ and ‘should-nots’ |
Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn’t do–and beating yourself up if you break any of the rules |
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Labeling |
Labeling yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings (“I’m a failure; an idiot; a loser.”) |
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Personalization |
Assuming responsibility for things that are outside your control (“It’s my fault my son got in an accident. I should have warned him to drive carefully in the rain.” |
Paul writes that we must take every thought captive in obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We need to challenge our wrong thinking about ourselves and our life situation and look at it from Christ’s perspective. We need to claim the truth of scripture and repeat it, out loud, a number of times, to help change our thinking into the truth that sets us free.
Fret not--He loves you (John 13:1) Faint not--He holds you (Psalm 139:10) Fear not--He keeps you (Psalm 121:5)
Don’t worry. Trust Jesus.
Prayer: Most wonderful God, in you there is always more blessings than we can imagine. Please give to us that generous spirit that places all that we have at your disposal. Then by the love of Christ, let it be multiplied in ways we cannot measure or control.
Please forgive and delete every single thing that is unlovely and unloving.
Correct and restructure all that is misshapen. Highlight the things worth repeating or enlarging. Rephrase the unfinished sentences so that they may continue on to declare your glory.
You alone are capable, you alone can be trusted to deal with all the secret pages of mind and heart. Make us more yours than we have ever been before, and in being more yours, become more truly ourselves. Through Christ Jesus our Saviour.
Amen!