Why Worry?

by Ayesha Parveen 07 Nov 2008
Category: Lifestyle.
This story has been read 210 times.

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To worry is to feel tense about the future – immediate or distant. At its most intense, worry qualifies as an emotional disturbance often called Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) that at some point afflicts about 5% adults. Lesser degrees of worry are, however, present in almost every person. The point remains that, although a universal experience, worrying can cause much distress and so, we must try to understand worry and deal with it.

What causes worry?
Sometimes the trigger is a catastrophic event. Many people who experienced the Great Depression or the Holocaust could never overcome their fear of future uncertainties. Domineering or demanding parents play a role too. The children then develop the sense that they have no control over their world and must always be wary about what might happen to them. Sometimes, if children are thrust too soon into adult roles, they may worry.

Does worrying help?
No. It does not prepare us for the real world. In fact, when we panic, our brain does not function properly. Moreover, worry can prevent the body from reacting flexibly to stresses in the environment.

So, what should we do to avoid worry? The following steps might help:

1. Write down what is worrying you:
If you write down what is worrying you, you will see that most of it can be dealt with. Putting it in writing often helps us see the problem clearly, which makes it easier to look for solutions.

2. 15 minutes of worry-vaccination:
Everyday, spend about 15 minutes thinking about the things that worry you and look carefully at the list you have written down. Then consider each item of worry as a problem that can be solved sooner or later, and not as a hopeless situation. Remember, how you look at a problem is very important.

3. Worry-free time:
The rest of the day, consciously make an effort to be free of worry. Focus on the positive in your life, the happiness and love you are getting as well as giving.

4. Your answer should be written down:
When your mind suggests a solution (it often does) to a problem, write it down immediately, before it vanishes from your thought-process.

5. Weekly evaluation:
Every weekend, keep aside about 30 minutes evaluating how much you have progressed in finding solutions to your problems.

6. Trust life and your experiences:
Trust this beautiful, often mysterious, series of experiences collectively called life. Life gives us the answers, shows us the way. But we have to be patient and hopeful.

7. Invest in yourself:
The more you invest in yourself: your happiness and your development, the easier it will be for you to solve your problems. Wear the colour you like, interact with people who make you feel good, hold on to your dreams. These help in building up self-confidence which in turn makes you optimistic about the future. Thus, you will minimize worry.

8. The higher-power:
Believe that there is a power higher than humankind. It is that power which controls the cosmic laws of life and death, of deeds and consequences. If you can have faith in the benevolence of that higher power I call GOD, there will not be much cause to worry, no matter what you are going through.

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