Worry is a waste of imagination.
-Walt Disney-
-Walt Disney-
WHAT IF............................?
Worry is fear drawn out long, and projected into the future.
If you have not read the page on Fearing, read that now and come back to this page.
One of the wondrous things about the human mind is that we are able to see patterns and project those patterns into the future and then plan accordingly. This is a marvelous ability. It can improve or even save our life. It is truly a blessing. It is also a curse, because many of our fears are baseless. Still other fears are overblown. And other fears were important for a time, but have stuck around long after the danger has passed.
Fear that grows into worry can rob us of joy and hope. It can also take up so much space and energy in our consciousness, focusing on a possible future danger, that it crowds out our ability to notice and appreciate what is going on in and around us in the right here and right now.
A regular practice of meditation can help to tame our fears, lessening our worry. It can also help to reorient our minds toward noticing, appreciating, and experiencing the present. One of the central elements of mindfulness is the focus on paying attention to the present moment.