Create Your Worry Tree

What would it be like to have a tree of your worries? A proper place in which to arrange all the ideas that cause us agitation, disquiet and that allows us to analyze them in a lucid way. This would free us from a great weight that we carry inside every day, that we carry on our shoulders and that increases in every moment.

It is inevitable to worry.  Our mind works most of the time based on the fears and doubts we had, have or will have. The consequences are a terrible load, which accompanies us relentlessly.

The tree of worries

To understand how the tree of worries works, it is good to read this story about a carpenter and his strange boss.

A wealthy merchant hired a carpenter to restore an old farmhouse.  Being the boss one of those people who love to keep everything under control and who care about the work being done in the best possible way, he decided to spend a day in the house to watch his worker work.  

At the end of the day, he realized that the worker had worked hard despite the fact that several setbacks had occurred. When it was time to go home, the worker was unable to start his car, so the boss offered him a ride.   

The worker did not speak throughout the journey, visibly worried and angry at all the problems he had encountered during the day.  However, when he got home, he invited his boss to stop by for dinner and get to know his family. An instant before crossing the threshold of the house, the worker stopped in front of a small tree and stroked its branches for a few minutes. 

When he opened the door and entered the house, the change was tangible: he looked like a happy man. The dinner was punctuated by lively conversation and lots of laughter. Once finished, the worker accompanied his boss to the car. When they reached the tree, he asked him: 

– What is so special about this tree? Before I walked into the house you were angry and worried, but after stroking him, you looked like a different person.  

“It is the tree of problems or tree of worries,” replied the worker. I know I can’t avoid setbacks at work, but I don’t want to bring worries into the house. When I graze its branches, I get rid of worries and take it back only the next day, when I start working again. It’s curious, but every morning the reasons to worry about are fewer and fewer than the ones I had left the previous day.  

That same night, the wealthy merchant learned one of the most important lessons of his life.

An important lesson

Worries are like sitting on an exercise bike.  Although we try hard to pedal, we never get anywhere. The tree of worries is nothing more than a ritual that can be put into practice thanks to meditation. Breathing in the moments when we feel most frustrated and achieving the necessary tranquility to free ourselves from negative emotions.

For some people, a run, a walk, or listening to good music is more effective. Everyone can choose which shape to give to their tree of worries, from which to hang any unnecessary weight. It’s like taking off your shoes after a long day at work. Relief is felt.

As the tale taught us, when we put our worries aside and pick them up the next day, we realize that we have far fewer reasons to mull over. This is because we can look at them in perspective, in cold blood, after having rested. When we allow ourselves some time to analyze everything that troubles us, we become aware of the lesser importance that problems have compared to the one we had given them.

But what happens when there is a thought that it is difficult for us to let go? In that case, it is essential to dedicate some time to it. It can be 15 minutes or half an hour. Reflect on what torments you so much and get to the origins of the problem, think about its consequences and whether this is real or not . When you have thought about it, you can solve it, if there is a solution. Otherwise, get rid of this worry.

Anguish, anxiety, malaise… All this will be part of the past if you learn to plant your tree of worries today and use it as a detonator of the specific mental dynamic represented by it. With practice, you will be able to eliminate from your mind what makes you feel bad and does not allow you to live in peace. The time has come to put aside everything that prevents you from enjoying the present.