How To Fight Worry

How To Fight Worry by Ralston Heath

Recently I received an E-mail from a reader who requested a more specific method of fighting worry. For her, positive thinking just was not enough, she would get a general feeling of doom, and no matter how many happy thoughts she tried the feeling would keep coming back. She just could not stop worrying about the feeling, and she even worried about the worrying.

The worry caused more worry that in turn caused the bad feeling that caused more worry. A vicious cycle if there was ever a definition of one. So I gave her this method, I can not claim credit for this method as it was taught to me many years ago by my teacher, and taught to him before that, but it works and works well

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Where no matter what you tried you kept hearing the song over and over, and not the whole song, just key parts of it. Before reading any further, quick, grab a piece of paper and write the names of those songs, then come back and finish this lesson.

We both know that we all have had this experience, so this is easy to explain; while the song is stuck in your head; you’re not worrying.Now you’re sitting there saying “It can’t be that easy” and you’re right it isn’t, but it is that simple. The whole concept is this; that when worry begins to rule your life: Fight worry with song.Now the song can’t be just any random music that you may have lying around, it must be a tune that has formerly been stuck in your head.

I can hear you now saying “see I knew it wasn’t that easy” but I must urge you to finish this lesson and learn what it has for you. Music, especially certain songs, has a healing and therapeutic application; there have been studies done that prove this. The songs you need to know about are the ones that have been stuck in your head.

Why is that? The reason is simple you are “tuned” to that song; you have made a vibratory connection with that tune. Something about that tune resonated within in you and while it may have seemed a bit irritating at the time, it kept other thoughts from entering into the fore of your being. The good thing about this that you may not have realized at the time, was that the thoughts you were prevented from having were useless thoughts, in other words; worrisome thoughts were prevented because of that tune stuck in your head.

As an example the song “Holy Night” was stuck in my head, for those that know me this is a most unusual song to get stuck in my head, but there it was going over and over in my head, especially the refrain that has those higher notes. So I studied the song, learned the song, how to play it, the words, etc. And now I can recall that song on command.

When I begin to get a worry I remember the song and almost instantly I do not have the urge to worry.So what songs have been stuck in your head? There have probably been many, and usually only a few key parts. Rediscover those songs and find the one that is most moving to you. It may be that the tune is moving like “Scarborough Fair” or some silly words like the song that goes “Doodah, Doodah” or even a purely instrumental song like the theme from “Star Wars” or the flute solo from “Knights in White Satin” and so on. Spend a minute and remember the songs that have been stuck in your head.

If right now you can’t seem to remember any songs that may have been stuck in your head, then just try to stay aware of your thoughts, and as soon as a tune comes to mind, write it down so you can remember it in the future. The next part is to go and learn all about the song, If you read music find a copy of the sheet music, find a recording of the song, if there is a version that particularly moves you, find that one.

Spend a little time getting to know that song. For some reason you have a connection to that tune, so you may as well become familiar with it. Once you have thoroughly learned that song you can stick it in your brain on purpose, simply remembering the song deliberately can get it stuck in your head.It takes very little practice, just do it once or twice and then you will be able to automatically on command have the song playing in your head and the worrisome thoughts will simply find no room to come into your thinking to bother you