Why Do We Worry

Why Do We Worry

Show me someone that says they never worry and I'm calling a BIG bullshit. We evolved to worry. If we didn't worry about anything we would be easily taken advantage of. If we didn't worry about anything we would get robbed or worse. If we didn't worry about anything we would never realize that some of our friends were not really good friends. If we didn't worry about anything we would let a cold or a physical problem turn into something much worse. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Worrying about something we can take action on is a good thing. Worrying about something we have no control of is a bad thing. Worrying about what might happen in the future can be a good thing if you do things today to prevent or accept what might happen. However, in general, worrying about what might happen in the future is usually a bad thing.

We mostly worry about actions we don't have control of. "It's been two months and I haven't gotten my tax refund. I'm worried it got lost in the mail." "This up and down stock market has me worried that I will lose all my investments." "My back has been killing me for weeks. I'm worried I might need an operation."

All of this worry stress is just making things worse for you. None of the statements above will destroy your life. You (or your accountant) can fix the possible problem even if your check did get lost in the mail. The absolute worst that might happen is the check is lost and the IRS won't give you the refund money. The possibility of that is so small, but even if that happened, you WILL survive without the money. You have less chance of surviving if you let the stress of worrying about it make you very sick.

The stock market has been going up and down for all the years it's been in business. If worrying about it is making you very unhappy put your money under your bed. OOPS, then you'll worry someone will steal it. Putting yourself in this "catch 22" will never make you happy. Just be smart about your investments and STOP WORRYING!

The stress from worrying about your bad back is probably making your bad back bad. Go to a doctor. If you need an operation, get it done. You will only survive if you stop worrying about it. I could give you many, many more examples, but you're the one who's worrying. 

Stress and anxiety are happiness killers. Stress and anxiety create many health (including mental health) related problems. Therefore, what the hell good is worrying? Well, like I said above, a little worrying might get you off your ass and take action on the thing you're worried about. However, in general, worrying does not serve you. 

Sooo, when you start to worry about anything, take a deep breath and say to yourself "is worrying about this doing me any good? Is worrying about this going to solve what I'm worried about? If I don't have any control over what I'm worried about, why should I worry about it now? I'll just see what happens and then deal with it." 

The most important thing you have to convince yourself about is:

Why Am I Worrying? I Know I Will Survive!