7 Things About THE POWER OF NOW That Can Help Your Worrying

I’m a worrier. I always have been, but over the years, I’ve gotten much better. I’m not sure if it’s just my becoming more mature, or reading books like Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, that have eased my anxiety, but I definitely spend less time worrying these days and more time enjoying life.

If you’re a worrier, too, here are seven things I learned from The Power of Now that might help you spend fewer of the precious moments you have on earth worrying about things that may never happen.

1. Rise above thought. Your thoughts are not you. Observe them. Separate yourself from them.
2. Allow the present moment to be. It may be unpleasant. “Accept—then act.” Tolle says to work with the situation, not against it.
3. Dissolve the pain-body. Everyone has a measure of emotional pain from past negative experiences. Look upon the pain body as a separate entity and separate yourself from it.
4. Understand fear. Don’t fear what might happen. Cope with the present moment and only allow fear if you are in present danger.
5. “Nothing exists outside the now.” Something that happened in the past, was in the now at the time. The same holds true for the future. What is your now? Are you warm enough? Are you comfortable? Is anything threatening you at the moment? If not, now is pretty good. Why ruin it?
6. “Negativity and suffering have their roots in time.” We hope our future will be better, but often we’re stuck regretting the past, which affects our now. One way to make the future better is to improve our disposition in the now. “Ask yourself: Is there joy, ease, and lightness in what I am doing? If there isn’t, then time is covering up the present moment, and life is perceived as a burden or struggle.”
7. Honor the present moment. When you do so, “all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease.”

There you have it. Seven things about The Power of Now that can help ease your worry and anxiety. This is just a portion of the book, though. A complete reading will help you learn to be conscious of the condition your life is in at the present, which will likely help your overall state of mind and help you find more joy, instead of worry.

Ann Silverthorn writes about a wide variety of topics in numerous genres. She recently completed, and is seeking publication of,  a biography of William E. Dimorier (1871-1951), a forgotten poet and educator, who dedicated his life to service and leadership. Several new projects are imminent.

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