Change the way you think
I try to take time out, in order to take a closer look at my life from the inside out, e.g. am I treating people right, do I exercise patience, am I empathetic towards those in need, do I forgive easily, do I treat others as I would like to be treated?
Tough questions to ask one’s self, but they are essential in keeping your life free from unnecessary baggage as well as keeping it on track.
My conclusion about the way we treat people every day seems to be directly or indirectly linked to the amount of anxiety we are currently experiencing at that moment. Of course there are other factors, much deeper factors, factors that have been established over a great length of time. It is very difficult for us to treat people with respect if we don’t respect ourselves, or if we have a low self image of ourselves. These issues are also fueled by our insecurities and apprehension concerning tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. (But we will deal with these deep seated issues at a later stage, suffice it to say, there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel - You can change the way you think about yourself!)
But for now let’s concentrate on the here and now, and how quickly we can become unbalanced in the way we think and function because of a something that has happened or a situation that we hadn’t planned for.
You know what I mean; you become snappy and impatient, because the things you were supposed to have done yesterday, you now have to do today, you forgot to pay a two month old speeding fine, and have just received a summons to appear in court, and to top it all, you forgot to attend two of your appointments this week, and that were essential in you making target this month - If this goes on you’ll get fired, then you’ll be without a job, what will you do then!
Your mind is now filled with irrational beliefs about your abilities, capabilities and usefulness. (This is a very simple example of what our lives are like most of the time; this anxiety is also heightened, by the negative events that our minds are bombarded with by the media every moment of the day) …and you have be nice to people; it can be very difficult to do when everything around you seems to be falling apart?
Some counselors distinguish fear from anxiety, but in essence they are both characterized by similar inner apprehension, and normally, if not dealt with, can turn us into horrible people, with little or no regard for our fellowman, our family, work or even ourselves.
Henry Nouwen has written that we who live in the twentieth century are a fearful people. The issues that fill our newspapers, the media and our minds, are not the perfect love that casts out fear. Each person today is concerned with his own fears. Different people are afraid of failure, divorce, nuclear war, death, life, people, rejection, intimacy, conflict, change, sickness and a host of other real or imaginary fears.
Sometimes these fears can build up in us creating incredible anxiety even in the absence of any danger.
Research would indicate that the majority of anxiety comes about due to irrational beliefs that create fear. People who make statements like “there’s nothing I can do”, There’s no light at the end of the tunnel”, “I don’t think I will ever get out of this mess”, or “it’s useless, it’s just not going to work” need to have their irrational beliefs challenged.
Just like in the example above, the fear of losing your job is fueled by the fact that you don’t seem to be planning your day very well. Much of what was described above can be remedied simply by organizing your day, thus the saying “if you fail to Plan, then you Plan to Fail”
So, in the future, when things get a little too freightening, just pull over to the side of the road for a moment, and take time out to see exactly how you mind is running away with irrational beliefs.
We need to change the way we see things and the things we see will change!
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change by Dr Wayne Dyer.
Nurture your Intentions by Dr Wayne Dyer
