"Whenever there is worry in the mind, all we can think about is what might go wrong or what has gone wrong. In the absence of any obvious problem or concern, the worrying mind will simply manufacture problems. (What we perceive as problems are often only circumstances). Restlessness is a similar agitated state. When meditators are caught up inagitation, there are so many mental objects seeming to clamour for their attention – regretful thoughts, neurotic thoughts, anxieties, speculations, assumptions – the volume of mental activity can seem overwhelming. A surprisingly simple and useful technique for countering worry is to deliberately put to one side the specific concerns that are dominating the mind. Certainly there are things in life that need planning but so much of what we call planning is actually worry. So often, we try to solve problems when we don’t have all the necessary information – concerns that are purely speculative – ‘what might happen if’ – are a complete waste of time. The significant feature of a restless or worried mind is the absence of happiness. When we introduce happiness into the mind, restlessness and worry fall away. Choosing to think positively – we can think about everything that is good in our lives, as opposed to what’s wrong. As the mind stops jumping back into the past or forward into the future it becomes content to settle into the moment. Concerns that loomed large now seem insignificant; we wonder why we ever got so het up."
From "Buddhism: The Plain Facts"
Robert Mann & Rose Youd
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