Worry As a Pandemic Problem

We humans are world class worriers. We worry about everything and everyone. We never seem to be at peace. Many times worry keeps us up at night.

So, we spend a lot of time worrying. Say we spend 2 hours a day worrying. That would mean that we spend 14 hours a week worrying. When we multiply that by fifty-two weeks that would mean that we spend 728 hours a year worrying. Over a lifetime of say 70 years, we worry well over 50,000 hours. Now that's a LOT of worry!

Worry can even make us ill because of the anxiety that it causes. Worry can cause car accidents because we are distracted when driving. Worry can cause families to break up and relationships to be strained. And worry can cause a lot of undue stress for us.

So, why do we worry?

We worry for all kinds of reasons. There is so much uncertainty in our world today. There is financial unrest and political upheaval. There are natural disasters and disease. There is job insecurity and mental illness. Yes, we do have a lot on our plates. But do we have to worry about everything or can we simply relax a bit?

Many of our worries stem from fear and anxiety. We have allowed ourselves to become fearful by what we watch, read and listen to. The evening news is great at making us worry warts.

We also live in constant fear of not having enough, yet we also fear what we consume, and we consume a lot every day. There seems to be a new report every week that tells us about the dangers of eating food our grandparents ate with gratitude.

In fact, it is in the interest of the food industry to exacerbate our anxieties about what to eat. Notice there is always a new product we should not be consuming because it is bad for our health.

Did you notice how many times the advertisers oscillate between whether coffee is good or bad for us? It really becomes a bit ridiculous. Yet, each time the advertisers say that we shouldn't drink coffee, we start worrying, especially if we are coffee drinkers.

How can we take ourselves out of this anxiety and worry state of mind?

Well here are a few tips to consider:

• Realize that worry is a habit. So, the more worry, the more we will worry. However, the opposite is also true-the less you worry the less you will worry.

• Unplug from social media a good 2 to 4 hours a day. This will help you to stop the anxiety from coming into your mind.

• Don't watch the evening news before bed. That way you will lessen your anxiety before bed.

• If you are overwhelmed by an anxiety, write it down. Sometimes, writing down your anxiety in a journal can help you unload it.

• Exercising can also ease anxiety and tension. The more you exercise, the better you will feel.

So, take steps to reduce your worry. You will definitely be happier and healthier as a result. Only we have the power to stop worry in its tracks. And who knows, you may even be a positive role model for someone else.

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