Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Why Worry?

Ninety percent of the things we tend to worry about we have no control over, so why worry about them?


I believe God is very much alive and knows our every need; He has a reason for the drama that is unfolding therefore, He doesn't need to hear any fear and doubts from me. As long as I trust God to be in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about?

"If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you." Calvin Coolidge

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles,
but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." Buddha

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." Charles Schultz

We live in a culture where everyone seems to worry. Turn on the news – someone got shot, there’s mercury in the fish we eat, the cows have got BSE, a new super-flu is coming, terrorists are regrouping, … On and on it goes. If you take all of this stuff seriously, it’s likely that you’ll never go out, never eat, never travel, never take any kind of risk at all.

Things never happen the way you imagine. When you worry, you are predicting the future. You are saying, "I know that things will turn out badly." But this just isn’t the case. You have no idea how the future is going to turn out, except to say that it will not be what you think it will be. So why worry?


Worry means you give away your power. Some people are so entrenched in worry that they cannot see any other way to live. But worry robs you of your power to be proactive. The truth is that you are in control and you can choose how to react to situations, so why choose to give that power away so easily and so unconsciously?


Worrying is completely unproductive. Why waste your energy doing something that gets you nowhere. On a treadmill at least you get some exercise, but worry is a truly pointless activity. Spend your time and energy on something more useful.


Worry distorts reality. We live in an age where people live longer, have better access to health care, have more opportunity for personal and professional growth, more chance to travel, greater access to information and lifelong education, and many other wonderful things. Yes, there are risks and potential dangers, but worry magnifies these disproportionately and blinds us to the wonders of our age.


Worrying is bad for your health. Worry is not a normal state of mind, and it adversely affects your health, even your physical health. When you worry, physical changes are happening in your body which are very damaging. It increases stress which can increase blood pressure, cause higher levels of stomach acid, cause muscle tension and headaches, among many other things.


Worry is not natural. Do little children worry? Do animals worry? Do all adults worry? There is nothing inherent in being human that means you have to worry. Worry is a pathology, a distortion of our natural, healthy state.

Do you know the most frequent instruction given in the Bible? Surprisingly, it is not ‘love one another’ or ‘love God’ or anything like that. It is simply ‘do not be afraid.’ I don’t know how many times it appears, but I’ve seen estimates between 100 and 366 times. You don’t have to be religious to realize that this is good advice.

So how can we break out of this worry habit? Like all habits, it might not be easy to do, but there are some clear, simple and effective steps you can take to eliminate worry from your life.

Realize that you are in control. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey tells us that the first step to a better life is the realization that we are free to choose how to react to circumstances. Worry is a choice – it’s inside our own head and, as such, it is within the sphere of our own influence.

Recognize that worry is a habit. Like all habits, there is a momentum to worry, and it might not be easy to break away from this, especially if you’ve been a worrier all your life. But it’s possible to change any habit.

Keep things in perspective. E. Joseph Crossman said, "If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today." Are you still worrying about those things? Will all this stuff matter a 100 years from now?


Face your fears. Nelson DeMille said that "Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face." After you do something that scares you, you’ll probably find it wasn’t as bad as you thought. With time, all your worry will dissipate.

Poetry: " Fear and Worry " with Song:

Jason Mraz -The Remedy(I Won't Worry) (live)

The Everly Brothers - Why Worry?

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

Remember I love you.
Auf Wiedersehen









People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Take no one for granted and embrace all equally with joy!
Julie A. Manhan ...

4 comments:

Susan Blake said...

GREAT post Julie and I wish you could have laid this out for my mom who had a PhD in worry! The fact that she died so prematurely (I swear by her worries) it has been a great lesson to me NOT to worry about nuthin' - and I don't.

Walt said...

Thank you Suzen, it is so nice to have you as a friend. In these adverse times' I can understand the the amount of fear and distress people are accumulating. Yet it can be worse than the tragic historic events that are unfolding, before our eyes. Unwarranted stress can destroy your health, and kill as quick as any disease.

princess maleiha bajunaid candao said...

Hello Walt..

People worry when they have no control of the situation at hand.
Problems have solutions..but oftentimes, even thinking of the
solution is hard to handle and this causes undue stress.

Confidence in one's ability to decide is imperative to sail smoothly with the hard blows of fate.

Thanks for this post, Walt..
another treasure to keep. :)

Unknown said...

Hi Walt

I used to be a worry queen until I realized that I was robbing myself of so many blessings in life.

Thanks for this post.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

cheers