Find Yourself - Mitigate Worry

“Worry” & “finding yourself” both deserve a dedicated post but since the two keep closeness in most people’s lives let's encounter them together.

The real yourself is usually hiding somewhere close and to find yourself you do not travel anywhere far, for it’s just within you. Emphasis is laid in finding yourself first because then much of everything follows well. Finding yourself is returning to you. Remembering who you have been all along – remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you. The wise have forever said “he who finds himself loses his misery”.

"Finding yourself" means exploring your identity and understanding what truly matters to you.  Finding yourself is about accepting your weakness, strengths, your limitations and embracing your authentic true self. Knowing your values, recognizing your passions and importantly learning your purpose in life - the reason for your existence, and what you want to contribute to the world. 

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself. This happens after having defined the self on your own terms, rather than being defined by others' expectations. Many have said you cannot find yourself until you have lost yourself. True for some but with many they do not realise they are lost and hence have little control upon themselves only to be in company of worry.

Finding yourself after being lost happens when you dedicate yourself to the service of others; it is in the giving we receive much. When a soul is connected with its divine creator, a sacred space within is where you will find yourself again and again. You realize another’s prayer is being answered through you. You do not find your worth in another person but find your worth within yourself. You begin to assemble life yourself action by action because the inspiration comes from within and you reason to find and stay with the truth.

In most cases the self is buried under cultural conditioning, other people opinions, and inaccurate conclusions made as a kid about who you are. The most powerful relationship is developing the relationship with the self. It is in one’s quiet moments alone the hearing of whispers of the true self helps in creating yourself.

In the absence of finding yourself, worry is close company. Worry a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around the centre of fears. Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose. Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don’t want.  

Throughout life excessive worrying about health, finances, job security, relationships, and the well-being of loved ones is one’s insecurity and when it becomes excessive and debilitating in some cases it leads to anxiety disorders.

Worry being behaviour can affect mental health, lead to persistent chronic stress, impair decision making and negatively impact relationships. For most people to keep thinking and worrying is because it “feels wrong to stop worrying.” One feels like, if I just think about it some more, maybe I’ll figure it out. Worrying is suffering one more time than you need to.

"Hakuna Matata" is a Swahili phrase and in English which translates to "no worries"....... an expression of an attitude and encouragement to let go of anxieties. 

Worry can also imply that we don’t quite trust God big enough. Moving from faith to belief helps knowing the Creator closely. He helped you survive the passage from a womb now you have to trust, conduct and manage well every action in every breath gifted. Quoting Gurbani “Meditate forever on Your Lord. Why should I feel worry or anxiety, when I am here for only a short time”…...