As we were driving through West Bengal, I spotted a newly built house, with two words painted in large black letters across the entry portico – God Gift (written as spelled :). I imagined how every day the family would get this message as they arrived home and could not help but smile.
It also reminded me of a quote posted at one of the seminars at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga last week – Interrupt anxiety with gratitude. Anxiety is a given in most of our lives. It seeps in all over the place, in small and big ways, and triggers various reactions.
First is our effort to quell it. To run, hide, or avoid what is making us anxious. Cover it up and bury it deep within. We may also try to soothe anxiety with distraction, in both healthy and unhealthy ways.
Anxiety is connected to not being in control and especially where there is personal difficulty or failure, or the anticipation of that. From the moment we wake up, our mind can begin it’s tap tap tapping on the anxiety button. If and when that happens here’s a few things we can do.
Interrupt the anxious thoughts with grateful ones. it really does work magic. No matter what, there is always something to be grateful for. And even if our situation is very desperate, expressing gratitude for something can help us through.
Another anxiety interrupter is having a place to take shelter. With Krishna, the feeling of shelter is almost immediate. When we say Krisna’s name, we can feel strength, relief, solace, hope, and a knowing that all will be well. That’s why getting some japa meditation done first thing in the morning is one of the best ways to control the mind.
Anxiety will never be far from us as we interact with the world. Too much of it can wear us down, zap our energy, and make us chronically ill. We may feel obliged to be anxious, that we are not a good person if we don’t. Interrupt that thought, and anxiety in general, as often as you can. The nature of the soul is happiness. Lord knows, life doesn’t often match that, but still we should remember it and let gratitude and Krishna’s name bring it out.
Source: http://iskconofdc.org/interrupt-anxiety-with-gratitude/
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