“If I were to chase…each particular worry… I would have business on hand for the rest of my life.” —  12 Step Prayer Book 

But how do we stop? When the worries, problems and scary things are real how can anyone just stop thinking about them?

I must first qualify that I’m not talking about emergencies like swerving in a car, protecting my family from a man with a gun, or jumping into the cockpit of a 747 after the entire crew has passed out. I’m speaking of the typical frustrations, worries and problems that we humans tend to experience daily. 

Accepting that I’m powerless over changing people, places, things and situations, I first determine if there is anything I can do to help resolve this problem, without causing any hurt or damage to me or others. If so, I apply the solution. If I have none, I connect with source and surrender it for the time being, putting it on an imaginary God Shelf, and trusting that my higher power can take much better care of this issue than I can. I’m allowed to visit it later but I can’t remove it from the shelf unless I have a solution that won’t hurt me or others. 

In other words, fix it if I can fix it without any collateral damage. If not, let go and let God handle it. When I fail to do that, I suffer. But when I remember to apply this simple solution to all my difficulties… ILML!

 – JamieQ