Was That a Thought? Or a Worry?

When are we thinking and when are we simply worrying?

I’d say that thinking is a more positive process. One in which we are faced with an opportunity or a situation or a problem or just something that needs to be done. In thinking about it we analyze the subject and then try to come up with varying ways to see it to a successful conclusion.

For example, I need to write an entry for the blog. (Some days that’s an opportunity, other days when I stare at my computer screen and it simply stares back, it’s bordering on a problem. ;-)) I look around for sources of inspiration, which are often something that I experienced or read. I play around with ideas, with different ways of expressing them. I try things out in my head. When I have a mental draft in my mind, I start writing.

Worrying, on the other hand, is negative. We go over and over things that might happen; the very nature of these things makes us anxious and unhappy. We can’t let go of these ideas, but keep returning to them. Perhaps, we blame ourselves for having done something we now realize was a mistake and worry about possible consequences. Perhaps, we fear what might happen if things go against us in tomorrow morning’s meeting at work. Or we might worry about losing our job or how our children are doing or any number of things.

An example might be worrying that I’ll run out of ideas for the blog. I could become tense as I search for ideas, returning to the thought—what if nothing comes in time? I could become worried that I haven’t posted for several days, anxious that people will be disappointed. (In case you’re beginning to worry about me at this point, there’s no need. There’s enough past entries to keep readers busy. Also, the Pure Land patriarchs and masters were prolific and eloquent.)

To sum up the differences, thinking involves a more positive, creative process. Worrying involves anxiety and unhappiness. Thinking can fix problems. Worrying increases them.

Understanding this, the next time you begin to notice mental agitation, the next time you sense a feeling of discomfort and unease, check to see whether you have stepped over the thin line that separates thinking from worrying.