End Worry with the Grateful Flow Tool
“Over time I’ve seen that most of our thoughts are wrong,” says Phil Stutz. In the excerpt below from an interview with Brian Johnson on Optimal Living, Phil shares his experience with worry in medical school and the Grateful Flow Tool.
Phil Stutz: I worried a lot in medical school. I remember when I was in the second year, when there were a lot of really difficult tests. I was worried—worried, worried, worried all the time.
I had just finished my last test and had passed everything. I was in my dorm packing up all my crap to take it
home—the test must have ended maybe 15 minutes before that—and I heard myself worry, “Uh-oh, you don’t have a girlfriend. You’re not going to have a date this summer. You’re going to be alone all summer.”
I was only 22 or 23, but I thought, “something weird is going on here. I didn’t even get a 15-minute break from worry!” I was just as worried about the girl situation as I was about the test, which also didn’t make much sense.
That was my first exposure to what we call Part X.
Over time I’ve seen that most of our thoughts are wrong. The worse you feel, the more depressed you are, the more negative your thoughts are, the greater the chance that you’re wrong. The content of the thinking is designed by Part X to cripple you and destroy your potential.
Barry Michels: Part X propagates worry, and it has an incentive to because one of the fastest ways to limit a human being is to flood them with negative thoughts. That’s going to limit their potential and shift their conception of the world. The world becomes a very hostile, dangerous place when you think negatively all the time. It makes you think, "Why bother doing anything?" The best you can hope for is just to get by.
Phil: The antidote is Grateful Flow. Try it now—it only takes about 30 seconds.
Think of 3 or 4 things you’re thankful for. Make them simple things like, “I’m grateful I had a good teacher in the 2nd grade. I’m grateful I had enough money to buy lunch. I’m grateful the elevator works.” Say what you’re grateful for slowly, out loud, and be specific.
As you do, try to feel the gratefulness right around your heart. Once you’ve done that, remain aware of the force in your heart but stop thinking about specific things.
Feel the gratitude as an upward movement or force. Feel your chest really soften. As it melts, feel the presence of otherworldly compassion and giving. Don’t try to understand it or define it, just feel it giving you everything. Let it in.
You can listen to the full interview with Phil and Barry on YouTube, which also includes the Active Love Tool.
