My mentor in my online anxiety recovery group (Parag) posted this. He gave me permission to share it. I'm really working on being present in the moment and giving all my fears and worries to God. I've realized I really don't trust Him much at all. So I'm learning that!
Set Your Problems Down & Live Your Life
One of the strangest things we do as human beings is that we don't just experience problems—we carry them. A problem appears, and before we know it, we've picked it up and placed it on our shoulders.
A symptom arises.
A difficult conversation happens.
A scary thought appears.
An uncertainty about the future emerges.
And immediately the mind says:
"Carry this."
"Think about this."
"Don't forget this."
"Keep working on this until it's resolved."
So we do.
We carry it through breakfast.
We carry it to work.
We carry it into conversations.
We carry it into bed.
The actual event may have lasted five minutes. The carrying lasts five days, five months, or five years.
What most people don't realize is that many of the things they are carrying don't require carrying.
They may require attention.
They may require action.
They may require patience.
But they do not require psychological transportation from one moment to the next.
A symptom today does not need to be carried into tomorrow.
An uncertainty this morning does not need to accompany you to dinner tonight.
A fear does not become more manageable because you've held onto it all day.
The mind believes carrying a problem is being responsible.
It's just suffering.
There is a profound difference between addressing something when it is here and dragging it through every moment of your life.
This is why so many sensitized people feel exhausted.
They aren't only experiencing symptoms.
They're carrying them.
They're carrying yesterday's symptoms.
Tomorrow's fears.
Next week's possibilities.
Last month's setbacks.
And all of that weight accumulates.
What if, just for this moment, you put it down?
Not solved it.
Not denied it.
Not fixed it.
Just stopped carrying it. If action is needed later, you can take action later. If a decision is needed tomorrow, you can make it tomorrow.
But right now, can you allow this moment to be free of everything that isn't actually happening?
Peace is not found by solving all of life's problems. It's found by realizing how many of them you're carrying that don't need to be carried at all.
The mind says, "Don't put it down, you need to solve this."
Life whispers, "Put it down. If it truly needs you, you'll find it again."
