Why We Shouldn't Worry
Almost everyone experiences some form of worry one time or
another. It is a part of life. Everyday, we struggle
financially, make decisions, and face major changes in life.
These things create an inevitable occasional wave of
apprehension. Ordinarily, a certain amount of worry is essential
for our survival. It helps us to focus on the task at hand and
leads us to constructive action. However, when worry goes
overboard, instead of being a good friend, reminding us to use
good sense, worry suddenly morphs into a bully, making us crazy
about things we can't control. Here's a list of reasons why
constant worry is not good, if it is at all:
1. Worry is a Complete Waste of Time
Worry changes nothing. We don't accomplish anything or find
answers to our questions by worrying. We also cannot add
anything to our life by worrying. Worry can only subtract from
our lives by causing such infirmities like ulcers or coronary
thrombosis. Worry is just muddling away today's time to clutter
up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles.
2. Worry is Unnecessary
Worry can't erase the mistakes of the past. It can't unravel the
answers to the future. It can't make anything better in the
present. Hence, there is no need for worry because it is
inessential.
3. Worry Contradicts Common Sense
We must learn to live one day at a time. God has given us our
lives in units of twenty-four hours and we should take life a
day at a time. If we wish to live a long and fruitful life, we
should respect and live by the biological clock He has built
inside us.
4. Worry is Illogical
Worry is illogical because it is futile, unproductive and
pointless. It is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant,
assurance of disaster and belief in defeat. We do not know what
tomorrow may bring, so there is no point in worrying about it.
Why look ahead and worry about things that have not yet
happened. They may just never happen anyway.
5. Worry Creates the Problem
If we are focused on our fears, we are more likely to crash into
them. Thinking about them is a confirmation bias of their
existence making them exist even if they aren't really there.
6. Worry Distracts Our Attention
Worry distracts us from the duties of the present. It grabs our
attention from the things of utmost importance. It interferes
with our highest functioning and delicious enjoyment of life.
Worry is an uninvited guest who spoils all our fun, making our
shoulders droop and forehead crease just when we should be
feeling triumphant or carefree or filled with hope.
7. Worry Doubles Our Problems
To anticipate future troubles by worrying about them today is to
double them. We already have enough troubles today. Today's
problems are all we are capable of handling. Worrying for
tomorrow stacks up more problems than we can handle.
8. Worry Diverts our Point of Life
Life is far more important than material things. So often our
worries are about relatively unimportant and trivial matters,
such as food, drink, clothing, houses and cars. If we seek
fulfilment in material things, we are missing the whole point of
life. The point of life is the fulfillment of our purpose. Our
life purpose is a combination of three things: who we are at the
very core, our vision for our self and what we see possible for
the world and our values. Instead of working out for our
purpose, worry takes us away from the main stream of life
completely diverting us from our point of life.
9. Worry is Toxic to our Health
When we worry, every system in our body is affected. Blood
clotting increases, blood pressure rises, and the liver produces
more cholesterol, all of which raises our risk of heart attack
and stroke. Muscle tension gives rise to headaches, back pain,
and other body aches. It also triggers an increase in stomach
acid and either slow or speed up muscle contractions in our
intestines, which can lead to stomach aches, constipation,
diarrhea, gas or heartburn. Worry can also affect our
respiratory system by aggravating asthma.
It is a medical fact that worriers die sooner than the
non-worriers. That is because, as Dr. E. Stanley Jones says, "we
are not designed to live in fear and worry." To live by worry is
against our own nature. That is why worry is so destructive.
10. Worry Affects the People we Love
The Greek word for "worry" is "merimnaw" which literally means
"to be drawn in different directions." In logical terms, worry
tears us to pieces spiritually, psychologically, physically and
even socially. When we become too focused on our worries, we
forget about the things that really matters, even the people we
care. It is a constant and dominating force that disrupts our
lives and disconnects us from others.
We don't have to deny our worries or push them out to the
limits because in reality, we can't. It is a part of us. It is
our nature. Indeed, worry is good to some extent. It only takes
a toll on our lives if we are so consumed in it. If we hang
around it day in and day out, it can short circuit our own
electrical systems and leave us malfunctioning. We should take
control over our worries instead of letting them take control
over us. Worries are only in our head, thus it leaves us a
choice whether to allow them to propagate or just forget about
them. Sometimes, the process of worrying about a problem becomes
much bigger than the problem itself. So we often need to learn
to deal with worries head on. We should choose to think of the
present concerns and decide to do something about them instead
of simply worrying on them.