Thankfully, worrying isn’t something I always do, but I am not free of worries. It’s important not to worry because worry has emotional implications on health.
Worrying can escalate
There are situations where worrying can be helpful, so that we move to take action on a problem, but when the worst case scenarios and what ifs become a preoccupation, then the worry can escalate. Worrying can begin to sap emotional energy and if not handled swiftly, can affect our mental and physical health.
Worrying is a habit
A worry is a habit, a pattern formed, but one that can be broken. Our inability to put up with uncertainty plays a big part in why we worry and carry anxiety. Worry equals uncertainties, uncertainties equals doubt. We tend to need to know for sure what will happen and will worry more when we have nothing concrete to work from.
Allowing ourselves to focus on worst-case scenarios won’t stop scenarios from happening. Things will happen whether we worry or not. To stop worrying we need to tackle all issues and work through them.
Creating scenarios
We create scenarios that haven't happened and may never happen. We also create situations that makes us hold on to fear. We overthink things and things don't always happen.
If we look back, how many of us laugh as we recount our stories when we know we worried needlessly and yet there was really no need. That's our lesson.
To be cont.d/2
I'm a big worrier as you know too well, but I've gotten better lately. Things don't always happen the way we think they will, so yes we do worry needlessly and cause all those problems with our health.
Worrying made my father stay in a state of increased blood pressure all the time, which caused wear and tear on his body and may have caused the cancer to appear.
So I've seen first hand what worry will do to you, but I still do it. It's like a bad habit that's hard to kick.
I believe our emotional state Lisa can be a fragile one. I also believe that any worry can emotionally take its toll on our health, so yes your dad's worry problems could very well have contributed to his ailments including cancer.
My father worries constantly. I thankfully am like my mother. I see very little value in worrying especially when it is about something that may never happen. It is a waste of energy. I understand that my father is the way he is and he is not going to change, when he is nearly 83.
I have learned that this is the way he is and I get on with it. I for the most part have learned to ignore his worrying unless it is something to do with his health or well being.
Even then he takes things to the extremes. I want to tell him to calm down and take a breath but I know that he won't. He is his own worse enemy. No one can tell him he has his mind made up.
Randy I totally understand you. You are absolutely right, when someone is the way they are and they have been like for what seems a lifetime it is very hard for them to change the way that they have become.
It's not to say that they can't, just a lot of learned behavior that has made them set in their ways. While there is life, there is always hope of change. I believe everyone can, they just have to want to do it.
This sounds a lot like me. Why is that? I worry over the children and their future, work, finances etc. Apart from that I'm not a worrier at all!
Before I had a family and I became self employed I didn't worry as much, probably because I didn't have much to worry about, so i guess I'm not unusual. I'm trying not to worry as much.
If only I had someone to do the worrying for me!