Fretting

Worrying is addictive.

I truly believe that, and like any addiction it can be deadly.

Being nervous is a double-edged sword.

In some cases it can lead to wise caution or strategic thinking, but it can also give us pointless paranoia, endlessly fretting about things outside of our influence.

Nobody can predict the future and the majority of negative thoughts you imagine will never happen.

At the same time we can’t predict most of the accidents that do occur, so what good does guessing randomly do us?

Most worries are make believe.

A recent study found the top ten things we worry about are, our family’s safety, our appearance, missing our alarm, missing a plane, relationships, a friend or relative’s health, our own health, being late, work, and number one, you guessed it, money.

To live a complete life we have to accept that many things are out of our control.

We can prepare for catastrophes, and avoid necessary risks, but, we have to be comfortable with uncertainty.

Deep down we all know this.

But it’s difficult, so we worry.

Why?

It’s because worrying feels like a productive activity.

It feels like planning, but it’s useless.

Worry doesn’t improve our life. It just postpones it.

Think of one thing you’re worried about.

Something that may come up in the future and then, honestly, ask yourself, can I control this?

If so, start planning a course of action.

If not stop worrying about it.

Let go of the fantasy and face reality.

Remember, worrying is addictive and can be deadly.

Like the quote from the classic movie The Shawshank Redemption, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

See you out there.