I want you to think about yawning. Don't you kind of first feel it coming on in the background and it builds and builds until before you know it you just have to yawn? As a matter of fact, I bet you feel like yawning right now just because I made you think about it. Now think about an itch... that's right, an itch that starts out as a little inkling of an annoyance but it grabs your attention. You can be thinking about nearly anything else, but once your attention is on that itch, nothing will satisfy you until you scratch it. Sometimes, the momentum of that itch is so strong, you still have to scratch it again before you are satisfied. Sorry... go ahead, scratch that itch. I'll wait....
Our thoughts have a lot of power, don't they? If a small, meaningless thought about a yawn or an itch can cause such an immediate physical manifestation, imagine what the big, meaningful thoughts are doing to us. Think about the momentum that our thoughts created when it came to a yawn or an itch... until the actual yawn or scratch broke that momentum. So think about this.... what is worry doing to you? When you think about it, don't you see how worry follows the same pattern? Starts out as a small concern, and the more attention you give it, the bigger it gets? Well, let's get back to that itch for a moment. Let's say you felt those first inklings of an itch, but then something else happened to distract your attention and your focus was diverted. That itch would subside. Chances are, it would go away altogether. Have you ever had a headache when you left the house but once your day started the headache left you without taking anything? You didn't even know it was gone! Your attention was distracted.
So here's the good news... the momentum that worry brings is equally strong when you think positive thoughts. Right now, I am writing this blog from Las Vegas. I accompanied my husband on a business trip and tomorrow we rent a car and will be taking a road trip to explore Arizona. When I first thought about making this trip I was happy, but the real excitement began to build as I thought about the things I wanted to see and planning and doing the research. So, here's what I propose... as best you can, distract yourself when you find yourself in a negative thinking pattern and focus even more intently when you find yourself in a positive thinking pattern. It's not always easy, and it may take some practice, but every time you can distract yourself from a negative thought, even if only for a moment, you are conditioning and strengthening your mind. It's like your "thinking muscle" and, in time, it will become stronger. Try it.... you'll see. Oh, and sorry about all that yawning and itching I made you do....
