Navigating My Way Out of Worry Land

Overcoming four common roadblocks

- Ms. Valerie D'Souza

My second name is Chintamani, not literally, but metaphorically.

I have always been overthinking and worrying my way through life, to the extent that it is almost second nature to me. I could be at lunch with friends, laughing out loud; I could be standing on the mat in Ekpadasana or doing a critical task at work - all of this with the worry meter constantly running in my mind, ultimately making me feel like I am not present in my own life. Since the practical techniques I have learned here at the Institute have given me relief, I realised that I can overcome this tendency for good. I decided to extend the theory and philosophy taught to us to deepdive and self-introspect to better manage my worrying and overthinking tendencies.

For this ongoing journey, I used the technique of Reflection and occasionally Journaling, which led to an increased self-awareness. This made me see the 4 major roadblocks on my way out of worry land and to cross each of these, I have applied the theory and techniques that I have learnt during my Teacher Training Course:

The first roadblock: ‘The Curse of Perfection’

I have been an academic overachiever which instilled the wrong notion early on that ‘I have to be the best at what ever I do . ’ Understandably, if I am setting such high and unrealistic standards, I am putting myself in a state where I would always worry about the outcome of every task.