Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? (Luke 12:25)
We all know worrying doesn’t solve our problems, in fact it usually makes things worse. But knowing that isn’t enough to stop ourselves from getting caught up in anxiety. So, what can you do?
The answer: build awareness and become curious
There is a small gap between a thought and when we attach an emotion to it. In that little space - if we can become aware enough to catch it - we have a choice. A choice to become curious rather than immediately react with an emotion. This is mindfulness.
Curiosity has a way of stopping the anxious thought train in its tracks – allowing your prefrontal cortex to come online so you can think and reason rather than spiral into panic.
Next time you have an anxious thought take a step back and ask yourself a question. Don’t judge yourself for having the thought. Get really curious and think: how interesting, this thought keeps popping up, what can I observe or learn about it?
With practice, your brain will learn that being curious feels better (is more rewarding) than feeling anxious and it will become easier to choose curiosity.