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Friday, May 23, 2008

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow

By Stacey Crow
In Northumberland Today, Ontario


Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed and nothing turned out the way you wanted it to?

Well, I had one of those days not too long ago. This week, I was rummaging through my clothes trying to find something decent to wear. I had an outfit picked out that I was going to wear to work and it looked great... at least on the hanger, anyway!

I got dressed and took one look in the mirror and decided that my outfit looked better on the hanger and that perhaps it should have a permanent resting place in the closet. Needless to say, I chose a few other outfits to try on and nothing looked great.

By the end of my morning adventure my bedroom floor was well dressed in every single piece of clothing that I owned and I was stripped of my sanity. To top it off, my hair wasn't co-operating with me so, out of sheer frustration, I decided that I didn't care what I looked like anymore and I went to work wearing a well-pressed skirt and a mismatched blazer, along with bobby socks and running shoes... and I won't mention what my hair looked like.

It was one of those days, and all day long I was worrying about what I was going to wear the next day. But perhaps focusing on my wardrobe isn't such a big deal compared to all the things in life that we can spend our time worrying about.

A lot of us spend our time worrying about the cares of the future and things that are beyond our grasp. We tend to worry about relationships, money, jobs, health, the economy, pleasing others, meeting deadlines and the list goes on.

Worry is nothing more than a vicious cycle that will eat away at us if we let it get a hold of us. Worry will stop us from living a life of adventure because we fear the future before it really happens. Ernest Hemingway said, "Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry: worry never fixes anything."

The Canadian Mental Health Association gives us some tips to deal with worry. They are as follows:

Get the facts. Often worry is based on a lack of information or misinformation

Take action. Set up an emergency cash reserve if you worry over finances. Talk to your boss about problems at work. See your doctor if you have medical concerns that have been worrying you.

Never worry alone. Talk to someone about your anxieties. Men and women will worry about the same things but men will bottle up their worries.

Get exercise. Exercising at least three times a week is not only good for your physical state - when you exercise, your mental state changes, reducing anxiety and depression.

Have quiet moments. Go for a walk in a quiet place. Being outdoors, having a change of scenery and fresh air can change your perspective.

The Bible also gives us some great advice. Jesus Himself said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (Matthew 6:25) He concludes the passage stating these words: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Today is a new day. My clothes are all neatly hung back in my closet and I am thanking God for my worries of yesterday because they have taught me how to live today.


See related posts on Worry:

Let It Roll Off Our Back

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