We humans are world class
worriers. We worry about everything and everyone. We never seem to be at peace.
Many times worry keeps us up at night.
So, we spend a lot of time
worrying. Say we spend 2 hours a day worrying. That would mean that we spend 14
hours a week worrying. When we multiply that by fifty-two weeks that would mean
that we spend 728 hours a year worrying. Over a lifetime of say 70 years, we
worry well over 50,000 hours. Now that's a LOT of worry!
Worry can even make us ill
because of the anxiety that it causes. Worry can cause car accidents because we
are distracted when driving. Worry can cause families to break up and
relationships to be strained. And worry can cause a lot of undue stress for us.
So, why do we worry?
We worry for all kinds of
reasons. There is so much uncertainty in our world today. There is financial
unrest and political upheaval. There are natural disasters and disease. There
is job insecurity and mental illness. Yes, we do have a lot on our plates. But
do we have to worry about everything or can we simply relax a bit?
Many of our worries stem from
fear and anxiety. We have allowed ourselves to become fearful by what we watch,
read and listen to. The evening news is great at making us worry warts.
We also live in constant fear of
not having enough, yet we also fear what we consume, and we consume a lot every
day. There seems to be a new report every week that tells us about the dangers
of eating food our grandparents ate with gratitude.
In fact, it is in the interest of
the food industry to exacerbate our anxieties about what to eat. Notice there
is always a new product we should not be consuming because it is bad for our
health.
Did you notice how many times the
advertisers oscillate between whether coffee is good or bad for us? It really
becomes a bit ridiculous. Yet, each time the advertisers say that we shouldn't
drink coffee, we start worrying, especially if we are coffee drinkers.
How can we take ourselves out of
this anxiety and worry state of mind?
Well here are a few tips to
consider:
- Realize that worry is a habit. So, the more worry, the more we will worry. However, the opposite is also true-the less you worry the less you will worry.
- Unplug from social media a good 2 to 4 hours a day. This will help you to stop the anxiety from coming into your mind.
- Don't watch the evening news before bed. That way you will lessen your anxiety before bed.
- If you are overwhelmed by an anxiety, write it down. Sometimes, writing down your anxiety in a journal can help you unload it.
- Exercising can also ease anxiety and tension. The more you exercise, the better you will feel.
So, take steps to reduce your
worry. You will definitely be happier and healthier as a result. Only we have
the power to stop worry in its tracks. And who knows, you may even be a
positive role model for someone else.
