Exercise: Pinning the tiger down

Imagine you were a person dwelling in the wild jungle, where a known tiger was reputed to hunt down people and attack them. You would naturally be cautious not to be ambushed. But it would not be enough just to walk around all nervously. You would want to know the tiger's habits, to learn its nature and find out how it hunted. In effect, you would be hunting and pinning it down, to prevent it from getting you.

This is what this exercise is about. Worries and stresses can be like that tiger, out to catch you out, making you nervous and jittery. Hunting them down instead is a way to being them into line!

You can use the same journal you use for open entries, on another page or section. Try out the method outlined here.

What sorts of things does your brain find itself worrying about?? Do certain worries come up more than others? What typically triggers your worries? How anxious do your worries make you?

In order to answer these questions, you need to get a good idea of what you worry about on a day-to-day basis. The Journal gives you a snapshot of your worries and you start to get to know that how your Ego is so alarmed.

TIME: 5 minutes a day, daily.

MATERIALS: A notebook, or diary, or your phone.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Track your worries several times a day for at least one week.

Not every worry, just three per day will do. The purpose is to get a snapshot of your worries. You can do this wherever you like- on your phone, in a basic diary. There are some blank forms in the question section, or you can easily draw up these columns in your notebook. You have got a notebook by now, right? :)

Here's an example:

Now go to the question section to get instructions on how to make your notes effective. 

Create a form like this in your diary and fill it out when you next get a worrisome thought.

Here's a blank table to copy out for your own worry table:

Exercise: Recognizing Worry Types

Two types of worries can be described: current worries, and possible worries. The difference between the two is useful because the solutions are different. So try to see if you can tell which is which. 

Activity: What type of worry is it?

Scenario A. My mother is late coming home. What if she got hurt or attacked? Tick which you think it is.

• Current worry 
• Possible worry

Scenario B. People are coming to eat but I haven’t got enough food. If I go to the shop I might not have enough time to cook. 

• Current worry 
• Possible worry

Scenario C. I am quite overweight now. I really should try to get fit. But what if I can't find the time to exercise?

• Current worry 
• Possible worry

Not so easy sometimes, is it? To help decide, try asking if the problem a) has already taken place, and if b) you have any realistic control over it. 

Using this logic, the worries above are thus:

Scenario A: Possible worry. Your mother’s accident is not confirmed and you have no control over such an event anyway.

Scenario B: Current worry. The issue is confirmed and you do have some control over the possible solutions. How you can get/ make extra food in time for your guests. 

Scenario C: The trickiest one. Could be either, but we’ll go for current problem. You have confirmed the weight issue and you are struggling to find the time to exercise. This solution is possibly within your control.

After you’ve filled out your for one week, look over the worries and see if you can name each of the worries as current or possible. 

Why does it matter?

Different worries have different solutions.

Current worries benefit from focusing on solutions rather than focusing on the problem. Solutions are reasonable measures to help prevent or solve the issue. Solutions are easily suggested by the Intellect, because they're quite rational and realistic. If you're still left with worries after the solution is in place, then the worry has drifted over into a less possible, less realistic worry.

Possible worries are less likely to happen, and they arise from an Ego that is overly concerned with negative outcomes. They are addressed by numerous ways, for example methods to calm the ego directly, or methods to focus on gratitude and positive inputs, as a way of balancing a mind imbalanced by negative weight.

Acceptance: the ultimate tool

Usually all worries have an emotional component and therefore by definition are out of proportion and designed to distort your reactions towards more impulsive or irrational reactions. Paying for your mother to have a full time bodyguard when you live in a lovely suburb.

The solution is to accept that anything can go wrong in life and we can take reasonable cautions, but ultimately, we can't control everything. We have faith in our ability to handle whatever life throws at us, rather than concerning ourselves with what it might throw.