Worry is meditation in reverse. I heard that recently and it stopped me in my tracks. I asked my friend to repeat it. And then I just had to stop and think about it and let it sink in. Those 5 little words contain so much truth.

Then I read this today….

When my spirit is in turmoil and my troubled thoughts race round and round, and I try to reason myself out of this frame of mind, it may be well to stop reasoning and hold fast to a single idea that speaks of quiet and serenity. One such is: Keep It Simple. Probably there is nothing I can do now – this minute, this hour, today – to solve the problem that is gnawing at my peace of mind. Then to what purpose do I torment myself? I will stop trying to figure out ways and means. I will not rehash, over and over, thoughts so bitter that they can make me feel physically ill. I will empty my mind of all this perplexity and hold to just one simple thought while I wait for God’s guidance. Today’s Reminder: The things that trouble me are often too complex to yield to human reasoning. Indeed their only reality may be in my confused thoughts. When I reach such an impasse and I remind myself to Keep It Simple, I will find myself being restored to composure. “Under the shadow of Thy wing shall be my refuge until this tyranny be overpast.” (Book of Common Prayer)

~One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, page 205

Worry is meditation in reverse. When I worry I obsessively spin things over and over in my mind trying to figure them out. I get myself way out in the imaginary future, emotionally experiencing every possible outcome. I think about conversations in the past or potentially in the future, that may or may not ever happen, and all the things I might want to say. A reliable indicator that I have gotten in an unproductive and toxic, serenity stealing tailspin of worry is that I start repeating. The same circumstances, possible outcomes and conversations get stuck like a broken record in my mind. Or like a Spotify song on “repeat”, for those of you born after 1990. And not a hipster.

Meditation is worry in reverse. One simple way to practice meditating and get ourselves grounded is to choose one truth…one word or simple phrase…and then sit quietly and peacefully, disciplining our minds to continually return to just that one truth. Other thoughts will crash in…we can let them come in to our minds and simply let them pass, returning to our one foundational, perspective altering truth we’ve chosen to meditate on. They come into our awareness and pass through us…just like a breath…they come and go. We don’t attach emotions to them. We don’t allow them to hijack our minds and take us on a roller coaster ride of upheaval. We just let them come and go, choosing to return to our one simple truth. I think that we can do this in a focused time of sitting still and also throughout our day when we feel worry creeping in. Maybe the opposite of all that analyzing and detail rehashing is the simplicity of just one truth being repeated, allowing it’s roots to be anchored deeply into our hearts and minds.

Personally, Keep It Simple didn’t really resonate with me today but here are some others that do…

God works everything together for my good. Live and let live. God has provided everything I need for today.

How do you move from worry to serenity? What simple truth speaks to you? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences…..

~Heidi