Let’s be honest. Everyone worries. You could be rich or poor, sick or healthy. If you’re a human, then you worry.
We worry about things happening that we don’t want to happen, such as losing a job, or your kid getting sick, or your spouse cheating. There is no end to things we don’t want happening, so there is no end to worrying, if you want to. People also worry about things not happening that they want to happen, such as winning a bet, or getting a date, or recovering from an illness. So people can worry about not getting what they want, or worry about getting what they don’t want, and the list is as endless as our imagination and wants.
Given all the energy spent worrying, you would think it payed lots of dividends. However, popular belief is that worrying doesn’t do any good. People will say those exact words to you when they see you worrying. They say that the outcomes you worry about are in your imagination only, and never come to fruition. And when everything turns out fine, despite your worries, they say, “I told you, you had nothing to worry about. It was all a waste of energy.”
That’s the myth about worrying. It’s that worrying never helps. The things you worry about never seem to happen. So stop worrying.
But what if things turned out fine simply because you were worrying? What if worry works?
Think about it. Whatever you worry about never seems to happens. This means that, if you don’t want something to happen, then simply worry about it, and it won’t!
The answer was right before our eyes. Worrying about something almost invariably insures that it won’t happen. In fact, worrying is a kind of insurance to make sure that whatever you are worrying about doesn’t happen.
If your kid is late from a date and you’re worried that they had an accident, then worry about it. Most likely, your child will come home fine. That doesn’t mean the worrying was needless. It means it worked!
Sometimes, of course, worrying about something can make you take precautions that can prevent a problem, which is another way worry works. For example, if you’re worried about finances, then you may go and change your job or lifestyle. Worry makes you focus on a problem and deal with it, as opposed to ignoring it.
Clearly, we all need to worry more. Here are some tips to make worry work for you.
- Worrying takes lots of energy, so make sure you eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and get adequate amounts of sleep. When you worry you want to be able to obsess for hours, if not days, without having to take a rest. Keep in good shape to be prepared to worry at a moment’s notice.
- Pick something to worry about that is completely out of your control, like the weather, natural disasters, and Elon Musk. That way, you don’t have to actually do anything, besides worry.
- Try worrying with others. People like to hear others obsess and repeatedly worry out loud. When they hear you worry, it makes them feel better about their lives. So spread the cheer and share your worries with friends and family.
- Worry as much as possible. The power of the worrying increases with its intensity. Deep problems require deep worry.
- Worrying is hard to maintain for the average person beyond a few hours or days. If you feel overwhelmed by a problem, try to develop a back pain, headache, chest pain, skin rash, or amnesia as a conversion reaction. This gives you something else to worry about for a while, giving your other worries a rest. But don’t rest worries for too long, or their prevention powers might stop.
- The biggest worry, of course, is about death. If this is your worry, realize that so long as you are worrying about death, you’re still alive. So keep worrying and you shouldn’t die.
So the next time you face a potential problem, worry about it. Worry a lot, and imagine how bad it could get. It’s the only way to make sure that it never happens.