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| Claudette Esterine |
Transcript
Until I watched a Tedtalk video, by Kelly McGonigal, my tendency was to "struggle" with worry. What she suggested, based on scientific evidence, is that we make stress our friend.
What she says makes absolute since! I truly believe that thoughts create our experiences. I have also been a proud worrier for most of my life!
It has been my pride and pleasure to announce this "fact" - that I love to worry. Even as recent as last week, I had two occasions to promote my tight relationship with worry and stress - even after watching this video a couple times before.
One of my DOS Sistahs and her husband were going on a road trip. They live in the States and at the time of the conversation, I am in Jamaica. For whatever reason unbeknownst to me, I insisted that she called me when they reached back home, "Otherwise," I said "I'll worry."
Now, would you believe that she did not call me in the timeframe that I was expecting them back?! And I am sure you all guessed that I worried, posted my worry on Facebook and stayed awake for much of the night!
Later in the week, life brought me to a crossroad and I just wanted to dig a hole and bury myself! I worried, cried, stressed and contemplated all the horrors that could happen and some that I could do! It was rough and certainly not pretty.
"By the grace of God go I," and it was most certainly grace that took the flipping shovel out of my hands and sat me down for a long chat.
"What have you learnt about anger?" She asked me.
Sobbing, I said, "To use it as fuel for my journey rather than make it a pit stop."
"Then why are you here busy burying yourself in despair?"
Change the way I view this worry was the fundamental point. It is the same one psychologist McGonigal made in her video. If we see worry as a friend, pointing us where we need to go and stimulating the necessary resources (oxytocin) in our body to seek help, then our experience will change. Instead of slowly killing ourselves, we could heal ourselves.
I am surrounded by angels. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages and from all over the world. Some even come via the Internet - YouTube in this instance.
As Marcus Aurelius said, "If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
Try revoking your stress today. Embrace anything that would worry you. Sit and have a chat with it rather than carry it around. Invite a couple other friends over to join the conversation and watch how quickly worry takes it leave.
Watch the video, test this out for yourselves and share your experiences with us here or on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter.
Have a fun day sending stress off!
Claudette Esterine is the Founder of Daughters of Sheba Foundation and Editor of our blog. She is a Jamaican-Canadian and a Free Spirit.
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