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The Mostly Useless And Inevitable Act Of Worrying
Two approaches to worrying for those who care.
Two Approaches
In my family, I have spotted two opposed approaches to worriment. One is to always worry, regardless of the circumstances; if it can go wrong, we should worry about it. The other is to never worry unless the circumstances slap you in the face; if it can be alright, we shouldn’t worry about it. While I am a firm proponent of the latter, I have witnessed both methods enough to know that neither is infallible.
Serial Worriers
A state of constant anxiety is hardly conducive to our best performance in life. The energy that goes into worrying should not be underestimated. Humans are incredible at adapting to the direst conditions, however, so those who worry all the time learn to live that way. Some make for the best parents, partners and friends we could dream of: the consistent check-up, the solid support and the steadfast loyalty are qualities anyone can see fit to praise. Naturally, it can also be too much: often, we need to go ahead and make mistakes, get into trouble, and learn the hard way. If someone is breathing their concern down our necks, we are likely to feel smothered rather than empowered. In any case, if perennial worrying won’t allow us to realise our full potential, we probably…