In the deepness of anxiety it is hard to let go. One’s natural bent is to cover up and struggle. But in the background there is usually a quiet intuition that everything will be OK. The thing that says it will not be OK is the racing mind and fearful heart.

These two things (whatever the real difference) makes noise. They make so much noise that it is hard to hear anything else. Often this noise is accompanied by physical symptoms which, miraculously disappear after the time of fear has gone.

But what do we do in the meantime? The time when the noise is what we can hear? We carry on is what we do. And if we do turn back….no matter. As long as we are going forward generally then all well and good.

But what is it to carry on? I find that knowing an easy route out of places is always a good thing. Knowing where toilets and quiet places are is also helpful. Churches are good hide-aways and excellent places to get centered and chill.

Also I like to make conversation with someone. This can be difficult in this day and age as many might think you a weirdo. Nevertheless, a passing comment or even better a conversation takes the focus off of self. Taking an interest in something else releases vital energy that is running around unchecked in the system. When the adrenalin is racing it needs calming down. Un-focusing helps this.

If one is off a faith then words to God concerning willingness to see things differently never go amiss. Removal of fear might not happen immediately, but the willingness to focus the mind elsewhere will head us in the right direction.

Eat something, drink something, sit and take things in. All these little ‘tricks’ help us start to feel ‘normal’. For it is usually the feeling of not being normal in these situations that stokes up the fear. If we fall apart in public then everybody will see us. What a catastrophe! It would be much easier to do things at night or when the streets are empty then there would be so much less stress. And if you know what I’m talking about then you will agree that it is the thought of being scrutinised, laughed at, seen as being different or weird, that really frightens us. If this is not so then why do we tend to isolate?

Yes we must face up to things sooner or later, but face up in a smart and humble way. Don’t just think you have to ‘man up’ or back down. This type of thinking will inevitably cause more tension.

You can do stuff that was previously beyond you. Onward.

Learning about the way we tick and how we fit into the world around us is a lifelong thing. When we are ill with worry, an understanding like this might seem like an un-do-able chore. But when we start behaving and thinking differently based upon our spiritual change, then such a ‘chore’ becomes a part of our daily living and we are happy for it. In seeking change we are already building a new life.

The saying goes, ‘worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps you going but doesn’t get you anywhere’. This is true, but the trouble with worry is that is is neatly packaged within the dellusion of control. We think that if we worry about something, that that thing or event will somehow be within our control. In essence, we think that the more we worry the less the thing itself will hurt us. The fruit of this is that we become entangled in the belief that our thinking can change events in the physical world. We have as it were, stepped over the line into magical thinking. We might as well be trying to move a plant pot by our mind thoughts alone.

Worry is the opposite to letting go, that’s one reason why letting go is so hard. All the time we think that we are in control – that the event/situation cannot be out of our control – we are making ourselves ill. We are never really in control of all events and outcomes. All we can do is stay in good spiritual shape and face things as they come to us. In this way we are letting go.

If you are near to Kent in the UK then check this place out for healing of spirit. Yes it is a church!  If you need quiet reflection then it’s a great place as the whole ethos is concerned with healing the broken person.