TO THINK OR NOT TO THINK, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

I must admit - I am a worrier (not obsessively but, in all honesty.  most likely more than your average Joe). At times, I envy those people who can "put their heads in the sand" and  seem to not notice problems and avoid uncomforable feelings.
Truth is, I wouldn't want to be like that and, in fact, probably couldn't be if I tried.
It's just not in my nature.

So, the question becomes what to do with all of those feelings and how to direct them in a productive way?

In defense of those of us who worry and deal "head on"  with any feelings, I think this attribute helps us to be more sensitive to the feelings of others, gives us the opportunity to learn to deal with feelings more effectively (as we have much practise) and is  healthier in the long run than"stuffing" them.

But, the key is to learn how to effectively deal with worrying so it serves us well.

HERE IS WHERE THE THINKING QUESTION COMES IN!!

As far as I can remember, the message has always been  think, think, think.....
"Think before you speak"
"Think it over"
"Think things through..."

All that thinking,  when it is directed toward worrying can be a dangerous thing. It can immobilize you and deplete you of energy. Or, it can become a motivator for change!.

I recently went to a workshop in which a local speaker, Suzannah Bagwell, a Reiki Master and Teacher, talked about using different strategies to deal with feelings and life choices. I associated what she said with finding a spiritual side  in ourselves. She spoke of many things that fit well with the readings I have done in Kabballah. This concept resonated in a recent article in Oprah Magazine (Oct, 2006) on dealing with ambivalence. Some excerpts include:

"Just for a few minutes, stop trying to solve the problem  and relax and trust: Trust in the process, in your true self,...in any force you hope may be strong enough to hold you, ambivalence and all, for even a little while.It is in moments of surrender, following vacillations , that quietly earth shattering revoluations occur"

The basic idea is to learn to " unthink" through meditation, visualization, journeling  and reframing.

By "emptying" your mind of old thoughts, you can open the way  for new ideas, opportunities and a better sense of peace in the journey of life. 

The book "MIRACULOUS LIVING" by Rabbi Shoni Labowitz  is a wonderful resource for learning more about Kabbalah and how to integrate this into your life. I am sure there are other resources available so I hope that readers will share the sources that they have used to help them and I will pass them on.

So, for now, the end of the story  for me is RELAX AND STOP WORKING SO HARD AT THINGS WE CANNOT CONTROL!!

Comments

[-Jeane Michelle Culp]

To learn to " unthink", a great resource for me has been the book:

A Course in Miracles

A Course in Miracles is a complete self-study spiritual thought system. As a three-volume. The Curriculum consisting of a Text, Workbook for Students, and Manual for Teachers.

'Introduction to A Course In Miracles

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time.

The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.

This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.'

http://64.77.6.149/about_acim_section/what_it_says.html