Welcome to Healing Answers #5.

This next question is from “Usually Happy”. Thank you – I look forward to our session together!

Dear Jenny,

Usually when we think of healing we think of physical illness; however I was wondering if you have any tools or suggestions in your spiritual healing arsenal to help with worry and depression. Although I consider myself to be a happy person that is not prone to depression, lately I have felt overwhelmed with worry and a feeling of not knowing what to do to the point that I can start crying and really do not want to talk to or be around others. I start to feel angry and sad all at once. Even though I know these must be irrational feelings, considering most of the things I worry about are out of my control, I can’t seem to help it. Do you have any suggestions for re-gaining control when plagued by worry and depression?

Sincerely, Usually Happy

Firstly, depression and worry are emotions that as humans we all will experience at times in our lives. If they feel extremely severe where we feel we are in danger of hurting ourselves it is crucial to ask for help immediately. If you are experiencing these emotions there are several things to notice and also countless tools you can use to process and move through it. It is important to also remember emotional and physical challenges are connected. Our emotions are very powerful and affect our energy and flow of energy. When we ignore the emotional for long enough or do not process emotions correctly it can begin the onset of physical ailments. It IS important to notice our emotions – all of them and to work with them to get a better understanding of ourselves and the moment.

I love the quote “Worry is negative goal setting”. There is also the quote”worry is praying for something we don’t want”.  As humans, we worry. It is quite natural and we can be extremely hard on ourselves and get STUCK in that place of imagining all kinds of things that could happen. When we worry we are not being present. We are letting ourselves get swept up in our self talk and own thoughts and usually that is a downward spiral.  Most of the time this worrying is unfounded… if all the negative things came to fruition we were spend the time and energy worried about – it would be a pretty overwhelming place to be.

Attention to our emotions is a positive step. I wrote a post a while back, “Appreciate EVERY moment not just the good Ones” where I featured  one of my favorite poems by Rumi, “The Guest House” which states the importance of welcoming each emotion. When I feel worried there are a few of my favorite tools I use. 1) I get present – that might take a guided meditation to pull be back to the moment or simply a watching of my breathing. 2) I examine what I am “worried” about and listen to what I have been telling myself objectively. Most of the time I am going overboard letting my mind do “worse case scenario” and not stopping to see the many ways the situation could rectify itself in a positive manner. By doing this I realize I am contributing negative energy to the situation and not “allowing” for the positive to come in. 3) I sometimes will make myself (while consciously present) go to the worst case scenario, acknowledge it and then come up with best case scenarios.  These all help with processing the emotions and seeing there are always alternatives. 4) I try to “surrender”. Notice the word TRY.  With some situations it is easier than others – we all have our situations that give us more pause or concern. When we surrender it is not “giving up”. I also write an article sharing the differences between Giving up and Surrender. We are saying, “Universe, I KNOW it is hard for me to see all the possibilities now (when we are in this highly charged emotional state it can sometimes seem impossible to see a positive outcome) BUT I trust that things WILL be shown to me and everything will work out for my Highest Good”.  Again, this is for working through emotions sometimes we will need to just quiet our mind and other times kick start ourselves to get ourselves out of the funk ASAP.

There are numerous ways to quiet our minds so we can begin to look at things a little differently. We can meditate, using a guided meditation if necessary. We can walk in nature. We can do some awareness exercises – like sitting and listening, then listening further and really becoming aware of our surroundings. We become so amazed that we did not notice half of those sounds before this quiet peace comes over us as we sit and are present. If you have ever felt energy – simply sitting and feeling energy can help bring you to a calm state of mind. By feeling energy and allowing it to flow through your body you are activating a self healing and you can become centered and calm very quickly.

If you feel you have dwelt there enough and you really want a change of mood NOW – there are many ways to switch out of a funk and a few require asking someone else for help.  We can call as friend that makes us laugh for a walk or talk. We can watch a funny movie, read a funny book or listen to a song that makes us smile. We can do something for US – yoga, a walk – anything that brings us JOY. Many times when we get in these states of worry and depression we become so very hard on ourselves. Celebrating what we love is a way of honoring ourselves and bringing ourselves joy. Doing something we love; gardening, cooking, exercise of some sort are all ways to shift our moods.  If you truly feel you have been there a while and need someone’s help there is always energy work by a practitioner – as you know distance does not matter.  The number one feeling people report to me after a session is “a deep sense of calm and peace”. You don’t have to do this alone. If there is a recurring theme you might need help to shift to a new state of being.

The most important thing in all of this is self love. Be kind to yourself – act as if your best friend was coming to you with these worries and wrap your arms around yourself as you would them. Tell yourself it WILL be okay. Get present. Know in that very moment you ARE safe, you are OKAY. When you feel ready – try and process some of what it going on. If you need help to get into that space – use some of the tools I provided above or reach out for help. Just as we love helping others – others love helping us. Sometimes it is hard to reach out and ask for help – but just as you would want a loved one to reach out to you.. they want you to reach out too.

I look forward to our healing session and know it will grant you some peace and relaxation. Thank you so much for your question!