If You Worry Less, You Will Stress Less

Audio By Carbonatix

Are you a worrywart? This type of wart has nothing to do with the virus that can appear as hard, callous bumps on your hands and feet. But worrywarts do originate from a virus of a different kind. It’s contagious and usually spreads among family members. Rarely does a worrier have influence or branch out to anyone outside their own family tree.

My great-grandma was a worrier. My grandma picked up the virus from her and carried it on. My dad contracted it from grandma and continued to be a worrier his whole life. I remember a conversation I had with him in his later years. On the phone he told me, “I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m dealing with. But, honestly, what’s wearing me out more than anything is my worrying about it.” He went on to say, “At the age of 81, I notice I worry too much.”

I’ve been living with and noticing that for many years, so it should be no surprise when I hear my own children say to me, “Dad, you are worrying too much about that issue.” It’s possible that I’ve been infected, and maybe you have too.

The symptoms include things like taking issues that are small and blowing them up to be much bigger than necessary. It involves not sleeping because you lay in bed thinking about issues and letting them create stress in your life.

I’ve tried to cope with that in my own life through my personal relationship and my faith in Jesus Christ. I also find that if I minimize those thoughts when I’m having them, it helps to keep them in perspective.

For example, I’ll pause for a moment and look outside. I look at the size of the universe. The size of the tree that’s growing in my yard. I focus on things that are happening over which I don’t have control, and it gives me incredible peace during the worrisome moments. It reminds me that my issues aren’t always worth the time and emotion I give to them.

Another technique I use to minimize the time I spend fretting is to think about things I worried about in the past. I consider how they solved themselves and how my worrying didn’t really change the outcome.

I also try to talk about what’s worrying me with someone else. For me, my wife is a great counter balance because she isn’t a worrier. However, I know some people marry worriers and, therefore, they need to turn to a trusted friend to discuss their concerns and avoid worrying their spouse even more.

I also recognize that I don’t have to fix everything. I’m known as a fix-it person, and many other people share that trait. I love to fix things and, quite often, I try to fix too much. I worry that I have to fix all the troubles in life until I remember I’m not capable and I need to stop worrying about it.

Lastly, you have to trust that everything is going to be okay. It might not always turn out exactly how you had pictured, but worrying about it will more likely make it seem worse.

These remedies may not cure you completely of worry, but they can help to minimize the symptoms. And, hopefully, keep the virus from spreading any further down the genetic line, helping you to win at home.