I was listening to Michael Neill’s radio show and he was describing how we feel our thoughts.  For example I think a happy thought (my family) and have a warm happy feeling, I think a scary thought (rejection) and I feel a churning sick feeling in my gut.

What struck me during this was the notion of ‘worrying thoughts’.  Now we are used to the feeling of having worrying thoughts where the actual thoughts have a worrying nature.  For example ‘what will happen if I don’t earn more money this month, make that deadline, meet the love of my life? (please do fill in your own favourite worrying thought)’

However, it suddenly occurred to me that what Michael was referring to was the notion of worrying thoughts – where the worrying is a verb rather than a noun or an adjective as in the previous example.  In this case we take a thought and worry it – like a dog worries a bone.  We shake it about, bury it and then dig it up, we sleep (or stay awake) with it and carry it around with us wherever we go.  Just as the dog loves to chew on its bone – we somehow seem to love to chew and chew on a particular thought – even (especially) when it is not a pleasant thought.  We all do it – it seems to be a human thing to do.

The difference is that in the first instance we are just noticing a thought as it passes through our minds like the clouds pass across the sky in a sort of ‘ooh that is a worrying one, oh but it is gone and here comes another happy one’ way.  In the second instance however, we reach up and catch it (still with the clouds here ) and drag it down to earth so that we can attach ourselves to it hook, line and sinker.  And then we wonder why we are experiencing such a crappy time.  Well that thought we are so busy worrying has got its brush out and painted a picture where everything is viewed from that thought frame.  So everything looks cloudy and we can no longer see the sun  (which is always there by the way, shining away behind any cloud).

Now the good news is that there is nothing to do.  Indeed the thing to do is nothing.  When we consciously slow down, rest easy and read a book, watch a film, bake a cake (my favourite) we find it all passes.  No analysis needed (more worrying of the thought) and no great discussion needed (ooh let’s worry it even more).   We just don’t notice that particular bone (or cloud – and apologies for any confusing metaphors) anymore.  And thoughts that don’t get overly noticed can’t get worried.