It's already February and we've had a really mild winter (in this part of the country anyway). There's still time for Mother Nature to slap us silly, but Spring is just around the corner. Last October I was really dreading winter. I was worrying about it so much it was harboring on anxiety.
As I get older, I dread winter more and more. The driving, the walking, clearing a path, the threat of power outages, etc. I have pictures flash in my mind of falling down and not being able to get up or of waking up to a freezing house. I'm sure the later is a flashback to the ice storm of 2007 when most of us were out of power up to two or three weeks.
I've never been a worrier but, I find myself more and more waking up at 3 am with worry on my brain. I worry about my health, my finances, my family. Is it just a part of getting old? I remember my mom worried more as she got older. She would say things like "Have fun. Hope you don't have a flat".
I don't like to worry. It's wasted energy that could better be used for positive change. One of my favorite sayings is: Worrying must work because what I worry about never happens. So true!
Do you worry? If not, how do you escape it?
Ugh, I hate winter and I get really annoyed every time I hear someone say, "Well, it hasn't been that bad." It's not the snow or ice that bothers me as much as the gray and darkness. For me it has been "that bad".
ReplyDeleteI remember the ice storm in '07. We called it Ice Storm Ted because they're always naming hurricanes. We were without power for 11 days and they were awful, even though I went to work where we had power, there was something about going home to cold and dark that was really depressing. I hope we never have to do that again.
I don't think I'd be classified as a worrier-------at least, not on a consistent, all-the-time basis. EVERYONE has worries from time to time--some problems more stressful than others. I guess I always do everything better backwards--I stress less now that I am older than I did as a younger woman. I'm more comfortable in my skin--as "they" say. :-) I think how you approach worry is a combination of your life experiences and your basic personality--I'm not convinced that we can totally change how we deal with it. I'm no expert, however------just sayin' :-)
ReplyDeleteLike you said...usually what we worry about never happens. I try not to worry about the things I have no control over, such as other people's thoughts,words or actons. I do use my life experiences to try and avoid my own missteps. And for everything else, there's beer!
ReplyDeleteThere is an old book by Dale Carnegie called "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living". I've had a copy of this book for years and keep it by my bedside. It's easy to read and just makes a lot of common sense when it comes to worry. Even though it was written years ago, the book still holds solid in today's world. I would highly recommend reading this book if you are a worrier.
ReplyDeleteI'm a worrier too. But always have been. You just never know what life is going to throw at you. I think I need to find that Dale Carnegie book for me as well.
ReplyDeleteI love everyone's comments. As most of you stated, it's hard to eliminate all worry. But, we can keep trying. And Steve, you may have to loan that book out to all of us.
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