Caring vs. Worrying

Hi, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, I have something for you to ponder. And that is, what is the relationship between caring and worrying? What is the relationship between caring and worrying? Specifically, is it possible to care deeply about something, someone, the world and not be caught in worry? I offer this to you as something to ponder, because I don't actually have an answer for you. I think this is a very personal inquiry that we need to have for ourselves. And I think it can vary based on context.

There are some people who would say caring comes from a place of love and worrying comes from a place of fear. That might be something you consider. But I also know for myself that, yeah, there are a lot of people I love deeply and I care about deeply and I also find myself worrying about them. In those moments, maybe that's coming from fear rather than love. I'm not sure, but I'd love for you to explore this in your own day.

When do you get caught up in caring for someone? When do you get caught up in worrying about someone? And what is the qualitative difference of those experiences? Do they feel like one and the same? Does caring feel more open? Does worrying feel more like a contraction? I do think one thing that is common is that worrying does tend to feel more anxious. It does tend to feel more tense. Where caring can feel a little bit more tender and open. But these are all things for you to explore. And the key thing I'd love for you to explore is can you do more caring in your life with less worrying? What would that look like? And what is that line between letting go of worrying and just caring.

So it's something to take into your day as an inquiry when you find yourself thinking about someone and maybe worrying about them, and it's creating a lot of stress for yourself, just ask yourself, can I lead from a place of care or love? Or does this worry feel important right now? Is it serving me in a positive way and potentially serving this person or this thing that I care about in a positive way? Just something to reflect on. Thank you for your practice. Let's settle in for today's meditation.