A Little Something for Us Anxious Types

Yesterday my daughter faced a challenge at school and was stressing and ruminating, just like her mama used to do.

This is a natural state for many of us—our thoughts run through every possible scenario of embarrassment and horror. Our brains try to anticipate what might happen when faced with situations that feel outside of our control.

It’s a normal thing our human brains do.

Since her mental mind was running on overdrive, I thought of a little trick I learned from teacher and author Tosha Silver. It requires a little bit of mindfulness. And it’s aimed to help those of us who have minds that work on overdrive to create new patterns of thought.

BE OPEN TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME

I asked my daughter if she was open to hearing a suggestion. Now that she’s 12, I find this step to be important as sometimes she just isn’t. And that’s okay.

Yesterday, she was.

My suggestion: When she notices her thoughts spinning and her body tensing up, to redirect the voice in her mind to say— to herself and the universe—these words:

I am open to the highest possible outcome.

It’s a statement I’ve used for years. It’s a statement that changed me from living a life of insidious worry into a state of openness and trust.

I use it for big things and small things. In fact, I’d suggest starting with the small things. You’d be amazed by how often parking spots in full lots open directly in front of me or appointments open up due to last-minute cancellations.

Over the last few years, I’ve created an entirely new and beautiful life using these words:

I am open to the highest possible outcome.

Skeptical? That’s cool. I was, too. But here’s the thing: if your mind can run scripts of impending doom, it can be trained to see wonders, too.

And with some choice and a little practice, you too can live miracle to miracle.

I’m living proof.