sexta-feira, março 21, 2014

Porque é que nos preocupamos?



People worry for a variety of reasons; some valid, some not so much. While some of us are natural-born worrywarts who tend to dwell unduly on troubles, difficult times or not-so-rosy predictions, others are more of the school “Live and Let Live” or “Worry About It When The Time Comes.” But we all worry. I tend to belong to the first group, perhaps because life hasn’t always been as kind as I would have liked but, like so many other valuable lessons, I’m finally starting to see the futility of worrying about things that are beyond my control – one of the reasons why death no longer scares me. This is also the primary reason why I no longer worry about the nefarious impact that public policy may have on the future of my country – what’s the point? As someone who has a tendency to worry (perhaps a little too much) about loved ones and life’s dreaded what-ifs, whenever I find myself going down that road I ask myself a simple question: Can I do anything that can possibly change the outcome of things? If the answer is “no” I shrug my shoulders and go on with my life as best as I know how, hoping for the best and that the overwhelming sense of foreboding that often times envelops me is a mere overreaction on my part. What else can I do? This is also one of the reasons why I refuse to watch the news on TV – I do my best to avoid negativity and dire predictions like the plague!

Perhaps people who worry too much feel that they are unworthy of joy, or perhaps they’re just terrified of being vulnerable. They either believe that they don’t deserve happiness for themselves or that bliss will inevitably bring sorrow, so, to avoid a painful fall, they unconsciously believe that they must “protect” themselves by worrying – that way it will not hurt as much in the event of something bad happening. The problem is that over worrying does not prepare us for a true tragedy and if nothing bad happens we’ve wasted valuable energy worrying for nothing, sometimes even affecting our lives and that of those around us. We are all unique, we all have our own idiosyncrasies and peculiarities, our odd ways and reasons for acting a certain way; to try to become better human beings, this is where introspection, observance, and lots of silence come into play. Those who fear loneliness need not apply. It is also imperative that we surround ourselves with like-minded souls, not necessarily those who agree with us on everything, but folks who complement us and help us become the best versions of ourselves.  
  
 When we’re overwhelmed by love, we feel vulnerable – so we dress-rehearse tragedy”—Brené Brown. (on why we worry about loved ones)
If you worry about the worst case scenario and it happens, you’ve lived it twice.” – Michael J Fox. (on worrying about things that may – or may not – happen)
 

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