How can that be, you might ask? So little time, so many things to worry about! What we have, what we don’t have, how we look, being on time, what others think, money problems, relationship problems, self-esteem problems. The list goes on and on.
We worry because we live in the past, or the future, but hardly ever in the present. Realistically speaking, however, there is nothing that can be changed from the past. The past is over. Done. Kaput. There is no benefit from worrying about the past. Learning from it is smart, but worrying about it is futile. So why do we do it? All those “shoulds” and “oughts” that have ruled our lives often come back to haunt us. “I should have been kinder to so-and-so when we were kids”. The only way we can rectify that is to be kinder to that person, right now, if possible. If not, we need to let it go and get on with our lives. Be kinder to people we are with NOW!
Worry over the future can be just as frustrating. We can think about it, and we can plan for it. However, we have no control over it. Our future depends on what we do in the present, as well as billions of other factors happening right now, over which we have absolutely no control. The odds are not good for making things just the way we want them, even on a minute by minute basis.
Worry has to do with control and fear. The more we give up control over people and circumstances, the less worry and fear we will have. It is important to remember that each of us is on our own journey. We have our own path to follow. We can offer help or advice to others, which they can accept or reject, but the decision is theirs, not ours. “You should…” or “You ought to…” are good phrases to drop from our vocabulary bank.
Is it easy to give up control? Absolutely not. It takes time and consciousness. We need to be aware of what we are doing in order to change our ways. Even with lots of practice, we may regress. For example, over many years, I have learned to be concerned about members of my family when appropriate, but not worry about them. It has taken a lot of effort and time. However, just the other day, one of my family members was “missing” after several hours and I panicked. My mind was racing in all directions, fearing what might have happened, what I should do, who I should call, yada, yada, yada. I called emergency rooms, and finally the police. Five minutes later, this family member showed up, having been delayed for quite a while with no way to notify me. I was ready to cry, I was so relieved. I must admit, I have not been that worried in quite some time and I did not follow my own advice to others. I let myself become overwhelmed by the situation, instead of calming myself right at the beginning. If I had sat down, done some deep breathing, and just noticed that my stomach was in knots, and the tears were starting to gather, I could have allowed these feelings to dissipate. I would have saved myself from a lot of needless negative energy. I may still have called the emergency rooms and the police, but I would not have gotten to a state of panic.
Worry is not the same thing as concern. Worry is fear-based. Concern is based on compassion for another. As we work with Reiki, the energy helps us to discriminate between the two. It helps us to let go of the fear, understand ourselves and others better, and work toward the greatest good of all. We often allow ourselves to be fearful of all sorts of things, but we do not have to live our lives in fear. Fear and worry are negative emotions, concern is a state of mind devoid of emotion. When we move from worry to concern, we allow ourselves and others each to follow our own paths. The second Reiki principle is not asking us to work on our whole life all at once. All it is saying is to take it day by day. Be in the present. Work on what your life is right now. Are you ready to take that small step? Reiki will help.
