Enjoy feeling anxious and blue? Concentrate on what is happening in the world now, that’ll do it for you. The impossible price of food and housing. Crooked politics. Illegal drugs. Riots. Disease. Murders. Kids molested. If that is your idea of living the good life, then my friend, you certainly have it made.
But there’s probably not too many of us who would agree with you. Most people like a sense of order and normalcy, and all this out-of-control scary stuff can bring on feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Makes people feel as they are living in a nightmare, and they can’t wake up and just shake it off. Trapped with nowhere to run.
So, what’s a better way to live? One way is to just ignore it all. Stick your head in the sand and only come up for air when you have to. After all, what you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?
I wish.
Another mode is worry. If you can’t be one of those who totally ignores what is happening to the world, then choose to constantly worry. About everything. Lay in bed at night and let your imagination take off.
“Everything in the news is all this horrible stuff, and I know they don’t ever tell the public everything that is actually going on. It’s a fact that the news outlets hide a lot. Is it possible that our country is doomed to fail soon? And then what will happen to my grandkids?!”
And when your brain tires of creating that type of non-sleep, try something like this. “I have to fly to Atlanta next week. I’ve heard a lot of air traffic controllers are actually alcoholics and drug addicts, and are totally out-of-it when they’re supposed to be guiding all those planes in the air. Oh my gosh, I may die!”
Or along these lines: “My headache is back. And it’s getting really hot in here. Makes me wonder…do I have a fever? Oh, shoot! I was in the mall yesterday, and it was so crowded! Could I have caught Covid? Again??!! If I have, I can’t work for five days, and I’m gonna lose my job!”
What, don’t care for that kind of existing, either? Don’t blame you a bit.
Better option? Learning to balance your thoughts. Obsessive creative worry is a bad habit and once started, it’s difficult to break. It creates an immense physical and emotional toll, and can take away your joy in living. Leaving you actually wishing that it was all over.
Yes, I know, there’s too much bad to be able to ignore it all. But just don’t wallow in it. Realize there is good in your life, and according to the Bible, you need to work at concentrating on those things to balance out your thought life.
Constantly remind yourself that your God is watching it all. And that He has a plan.