Worry gets You Nowhere

I try not to worry as a general rule. I consider outcomes and postulate responses. I prepare. I don’t deny that a problem might exist. It’s just that I don’t want to fret about it. Worry gets me nowhere good and often hurts me.

But it’s hard not to worry right now. My sister says she is trying to replace the worry with mindfulness. That’s an excellent idea. And generally, I’m pretty mindful. I got through my most recent shopping expedition and the subsequent storing of the purchases at home without touching my face once until everything had been washed, including my hands. I ran into a friend while out shopping and she touched her nose twice while we were talking. After she did it, she realized she did it. She wasn’t happy about it.

It seems to me that it is human nature to worry. We consider the what-ifs and maybes and oh-my-God-I-hope-that-doesn’t-happens. And then we lose it. All our resolutions not to worry just dissipate like fog in the morning when the sun finally rises to burn it off. Poof! Resolution gone.

You could argue that by anticipating the worst-case scenario, you are preparing yourself the best way that you can and then when the worst doesn’t happen you can feel relieved. But I’ve never figured out a way to do that without the worry creeping in. And I think that worry does more harm than good. I’m a case in point.

I have a tendency to have acid reflux. It’s very painful. Sometimes a virus will bring it on. But mostly, it’s triggered by stress.

I’ve had a very painful morning so far. I’ve had to take an acid reducing medication. While it does give me relief from the pain, it comes with its own set of side effects that will haunt me for the next few days. All this could have been avoided if I had not succumbed to worry.

I wish I could tell you that I had the answer. I wish I knew how not to worry. But I don’t. So I’ll do my best to keep busy. I’ll focus on what I can actually do. I’ll try not to think about the things over which I have no control. And I’ll make the changes to my routines that I need to make in order to limit exposure.

But I will probably still worry.