© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.
Be honest: do you have Worry Stress? How much and how often do you worry? When you get a good Worry going, do you have trouble stopping? I invite you now to make a New Year decision to shift that.
My grandmother worried. She worried about many things, from the smallest personal decisions, such as how to arrange which flowers, to the state of the Presidency, the economy, and world affairs. However, she had a system: she worried on schedule. At a certain time each evening, she told me, she would lie restfully, a small AM radio playing near her ear, and she would worry for about an hour and a half. If some worrisome topic came to her during the day, no problem. She could and would set it aside until it was time to worry.
Most people are not that mentally organized. They worry and stress and fret at any and all hours of the day, and sometimes at night. They cannot concentrate on a task at hand, because they are distracted by their Worry Stress. I have clients who say they wake up worrying and can’t go back to sleep.
So, how much happier and more energetic would you be, if you didn’t worry and stress and fret? How much more would you get done? How much better would you rest at night, and how much less tired would you be during the day? How much less stress relief would you need? Wouldn’t your life cost less and wouldn’t you have more money? You would also be more popular. People enjoy working and socializing with light-hearted people.
Possibly the most famous advice for worry was penned in many versions, by the American theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, as a prayer. It is now widely known as The Serenity Prayer. It asks for the wisdom to discern between things we can or cannot change. If half the things you are worrying about are outside any of your control, are they worth getting stressed about? Make a list of everything you ever worry about, and draw an arrow through the items that you can do nothing about. Is it most of them? Is it half? Now, whatever your belief system or faith system, consider the power of mental boundaries to help you be wisely serene. Can you set aside what is not worth worrying about? If you are a person of faith, can you give those to God, and trust that Someone is in charge?
Consider this early version of Niebuhr’s prayer, from a 1937 Christian student publication:
Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.
Is it in your control? If not, set it aside. Practice turning off your Worry Stress, nurture your Peace Within, and live as you were meant to live.
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Energy – Peace – Meditation
- Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert. She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
- For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: bookings@kebba.com .
Healthy Happy Loving Life! 
Great advice!! This year, I plan on worrying less, praying more, and just being genuinely happy. I definitely will implement some of these things in my life. You can’t spend your entire day worrying about every little thing! That’s not living at all. Thanks so much for sharing.
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Thank you so much for visiting and commenting, and for being so much on the same page as I’m on. I think we can put ourselves in “Worry Jail” with all our rigorous goal-setting and such. Live!
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It’s funny when similar themes prevail among different blogs! I just posted about priorities and peace! I’m also of the belief that nobody is born to worry, it’s not anybody’s job to worry – we just have to cast that burden on the Lord!
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Hi Kebba,
Whenever I see the Serenity Prayer, I think of a friend of mine. She loves that prayer. She says the same thing: to do what you can and leave the rest for God. I think I am better than I used to be. When my mother feels worried, like in the middle of the night, she gets up and reads the Bible. She prays and in time, feels sleepy, and goes back to bed with more peace. Great topic!
Amy
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I tend to worry in the middle of the night, which can be a nuisance. I do love the idea of timetabling a period of the day to sit peacefully and worry during that time only. I will certainly give that a go! Thanks Kebba!
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Me too! Good idea, Kebba!
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Rev. Gramma, I’m so glad you enjoyed my piece. Thanks for visiting and commenting! Do you want to get my weekly Inspirations, which go out by email?
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I’m definitely going to try this! I tend to be a worrier all the time, and once I latch on to a thought it’s hard to let go. Thanks Kebba!
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Helena, practice will make the technique very swift. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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