Have you ever worried about something you have no control over? Even if it's a good thing, like a wedding or getting promoted, there's still a certain amount of stress that settles on you like an unwanted house guest.
For the past month, I've been fretting over something. Yesterday we handed over our not quite two year old black lab to a guy named Will for 10 days of training. Away from home. For 10 days.
I don't know what it is about that dog, but he stole my heart from day one. I fuss over him like a child every chance I get. I even let him drape himself across me when we watch TV. Did I mention he's 90 pounds?
Over the past few weeks when I allow myself to think about it, I worried that he'd feel abandoned, that the training would be too rigorous, that they'd forget to give him his supplements (didn't you know my dog would be on supplements? - LOL), that he'll miss me because I treat him like a baby, that the dog food they feed him won't be good enough, that our other dog will be lonely without him, and that I'm going to miss him.
At 11:30 sharp, the doggie van pulled up to the house. And guess what? I didn't have an emotional break down. Not even a solitary tear sliding down my cheek. My heart didn't break even though Will drove off with a piece of it. I felt surprisingly serene.
How could that be? After weeks of agonizing over the whole thing, how was I able to let it go?In retrospect, I realized I had been practicing some of the things I had learned from some of the stress management programs I had taken over the years. It's so cool when that happens.
Constant worrying is such an unhealthy habit. It robs us of our happiness, disturbs our sleep and makes it hard to think clearly. So how did I stop? I took a little from each of the 3 things below, and it really did help.
- Think of positive outcomes. It's so easy to slip into negative thinking, but I made an effort to look at the problem from a different angle so I could break free from stinkin' thinking. I recognized that a trained dog is a happier dog because he can go more places. He'll be eligible to train as a therapy dog which is something I've wanted to do since we got him. He's getting a bath while he's there which he really needs after our dusty, hot summer. We'll be able to walk him without losing control - up until now, there's been more pulling than walking.
- Journal away the bad feelings. Writing things down might seem like extra work, but it frees you up to move on. My friend Stacey Shipman had a real heart to heart with me on this some time ago, and grudgingly I agreed to try it. It's really beneficial first thing in the morning or just before bed. A lot of people resist journaling, but don't knock it 'til you try it. Just write whatever comes into your head. You'll be surprised how good it'll make you feel once you get it all out. I think of it as venting on paper.
- Create a gratitude list. It's hard to focus on the negative when you're thinking about what's going well. Write it down, find an app for that (there's tons), or just think of something on the fly. I usually roll through my list of things when I'm at a red light. It's tough to worry when you're feeling blessed.
If you want to know how Sharky's doing over the next 10 days, find me on Facebook. Will has promised to post pictures and videos of his progress.
Take care, and enjoy the dog days of summer!
Kat
PS: Don't forget to enter my contest at the bottom of the page for a chance to win a cool prize!
