Normally, I am pretty good dealing with anxiety. The past several years brought so many crises in my life, that I was left with very little choice than to put on my big girl pants and deal with it. But, this past week brought a situation that threw me off and I needed to back to the basics again. A shift from fear to gratitude was needed.
My son had a crisis at college. A miracle occurred and it was all worked out. The Dean of the Registrar at his University is a Saint and I will be forever grateful for her kindness and compassion. But, even when the situation was worked out, I still felt a lot of anxiety a week later. If you are a parent, you know, that it is so difficult to see your children going through a rough time.
I was meditating every morning, but, I still had that uncomfortable feeling in my solar plexius (about two inches above the navel). When I thought about this and allowed myself some quiet time to acutally feel the anxiety in my body, I realized my ego was in control. The ego was still focusing on the what-ifs. What if it didn’t work out? What would my son do? Can this happen again?
I allowed the ego mind to rule instead of the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is in a state of grace and does what we tell it. That was the shift I needed. Instead of allowing fear based thoughts every time I felt the anxiety, I would focus on gratitude and the miracle that God provided.
It was a subtle shift. Just taking charge of my thoughts and creating a new habit. Gratitude puts us in touch with our higher selves and that aligns us with God, faith, and trust. Deepak Chopra said, “Gratitude is like a flashlight in a dark forest.”
Within in a day of a gratitude shift, the anxiety was gone and I just felt so blessed for the miracle that occurred.
Next time you are filled with stress or anxiety turn your thoughts to gratitude. We can change our habits by changing our thoughts.