I just wrote this post on Facebook and it was my most popular! Is everyone suffering from this?
Worrying about things that don’t happen is one of the chief causes of adrenal stress, immune compromise and nervous system meltdown.
It is not only a spiritual issue. It is a mental and emotional issue, and very much a physical one.
There you have it, a truly holistic experience!
I know this syndrome intimately as I have been very vulnerable to it most of my life and have now largely ‘tamed’ it. It comes with a ‘vata’ disposition, according to Ayurveda. (The vata dosa, or body type, is prone to anxiety and fear)
Worrying about things that don’t happen is a fixation that must be met with openness and willingness to face the fear. We feed it the fuel it wants by turning away from it or being overly reactive to it. We lose our discernment and become hyper anxious.
That hyper anxiety hits the body hard, and is ultimately useless and destructive.
I recently returned from a trip to the east coast of USA. We accidentally got my name wrong on the flight booking, and that caused me considerable anxiety. I imagined they wouldn’t let me on the flight. I actually became quite stressed about the whole thing. Add to that I thought our luggage was over weight, and we didn’t have enough time to get everything done and I was all over the place!
Guess what? It was a big lesson.
a. They didn’t care about the name and changed it in a moment.
b. The luggage was fine.
c. We had loads of time and were still at the airport early.
d. I stressed over absolutely nothing.
Luckily I have learned not to take out this anxiety on anyone else, particularly loved ones. I keep it to myself as much as possible.
But the point I’m making is I worried about things that didn’t happen. And it began to screw around with my body.
Acute anxiety or chronic anxiety, it doesn’t matter, it still degrades the body integrity and must be met with softness and love.
The effect of this unnecessary worry on the body can be catastrophic. From adrenal fatigue to ramped up immune system, to liver tightness, high cortisol levels, risk of heart attack, rashes, and serious digestive problems, this is not some minor issue. Even cancer may be fueled by major worry.
It is a chronic and societal problem that must be faced individually and collectively.
What can you do?
You can do so much to reduce this heavyweight problem.
All endeavors will help. Here are some ideas that I use.
Meditation. Spending time in nature. Exercise. Relaxation.Visualization.
Spiritual inquiry. Healing old wounds and traumas. Understanding one’s mind and belief systems.
Magnesium. Detoxification. Nourishment with healthy and organic vegetables and salads.
Decreasing acidic and stimulating foods and drinks. NO COCA COLA!
Love.
Let me know what you think, or whether you worry about things that don’t happen and what strategies you employ, if any, to help reduce it’s damaging effects.
And thanks for reading!
Live a Holistic Life Now 
Hi Kavi, I think this is a really interesting article. I am certainly highly stressed a lot of the time over things that in retrospect are silly to worry about. I do have a chronic condition, bronchiectasis, which was brought on by a family crisis (that was a good reason to worry at the time it seemed!) and now due partly to the antibiotics I have to take but also due to constant stress (mainly of my own making) I have developed a digestive problem, reflux, heartburn, indigestion. I know it is due to anxiety but knowing it doesn’t mean it is easy to stop it. I do my very best with diet. I am gluten, dairy and sugar free and try to eat 80% organic vegetables and a small amount of good quality protein. But the worry is the main problem, playing havoc with my digestion and lung condition. I do feel better when I meditate and should try to bring that into my daily routine but not only that, I am also trying to be meditative while I am doing things and stay present and not let my mind take over. Much easier said than done.
Julie, it is a constant and deeply spiritual practice. Accepting things the way they are and taming the mind IS the main practice of life and one we are all pretty bad at. As you say, being meditative during life is tough but necessary. Meditation alone is useless unless it penetrates every part of our lives and then it begins to have a calming effect. I wish you well and hope you find the peace you, and your body, need x Kavi