Are you a worry wart?
Do you spend a lot of time worrying about what bad things could happen in the world around you?
You’re not alone.
Forty-two percent of Americans say they personally worry a “great deal” about race relations in the United States, up seven percentage points from 2016 and a record high in Gallup’s 17-year trend.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans, divided sharply along party lines, are worried that the United States will become engaged in a major war in the next four years, according to results from the latest NBC News SurveyMonkey poll.
What good does it do for us to worry about things that are out of our control? Why worry about anything?
Psychiatrists say it’s part of human nature to worry; be it about health, finances, family, rumors of war, and relationships. We’re imprinted with a worry gene. In order to combat this situation we must actively identify our worries, then work on dispelling them.
Roy T. Bennett offers a simple solution: “If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
According to the avoidance model of worry outlined in Psych Central, individuals may worry in order to avoid feeling emotions that may arise in the event of the “worst-case scenario.”
Whatever causes you to worry…it’s a waste of time.
That may sound heartless. It’s not. Worrying won’t solve your problem. All you’ll get from worrying is being stressed out daily. End result, a shorter life.
It’s your choice.
As It Stands, Ana Monnar sums things up nicely, “Whatever is going to happen will happen, whether we worry or not.”
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 