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How to Overcome Worry

Our lives are directly affected by what takes place in our minds. What we think affects our feelings and these affect our actions and behaviour. When these thoughts focus on the negative they produce feelings of anxiety and worry begins to form in our minds. So, how does one overcome worry? Let’s first look at what worry means.

What is Worry?

Worry has been defined in many ways and some of them are listed below:

“Worry is to think about problems or unpleasant things that might happen or has happened in a way that makes you feel unhappy and frightened”.

“To feel or experience concern or anxiety”

“To fret about a situation, future, tomorrow”

“Fear of uncertainty, change unpleasantness discomfort death sickness pain”

Worry essentially occurs in the mind and it takes place almost unconsciously. Worry destroys creativity and paints a bad picture of situations. The process of pushing thoughts around in our head might be considered by some as planning but in reality, it is worrying. It is good to know and spot the differences in order to avoid the worry trap.

Planning involves a structured approach to an issue with targets set to follow to achieve a goal but worry has no scheduled timing, it is unending and impractical.

Worry has symptoms including fear, sleeplessness, disorientation, hallucination, misconception, confusion, anger, aggression, and lack of motivation. It can lead to Obsessions and depression.

Ways to Overcome Worry

Jesus Christ has a word for chronic worriers in Matthew 6: 25: “Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life …” He also advised that worry has no benefit whatsoever in verse 27: ”Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life”. He recommended happiness and cheerfulness – John 16: 33b: “Be of good cheer I have overcome the world”

Solutions to persistent worry include Biblical counselling and prayer.

Prayer: Philippians 4:6 -7: “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.