Worrying wouldn’t help…

By Klaus Döring

Some feelings of worry can be healthy, pushing us to find solutions to real and present problems. However, chronic worry, even about things out of our control, can severely impact our mental health.

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke put it well: “Life is not even close to being as logically consistent as our worries; it has many more unexpected ideas and many more facts than we do.” Worrying is pointless not only because it rarely makes things better, but also because you’re rarely ever worried about the right thing!

We hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don’t have to do all that counting — computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Facebook to and fro, back and forth, there and back — how many posts and comments have been posted already with sadness, loneliness, boredom, problems, worries … .

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn’t just knock — it jiggles the doorknob. And “your social media online friend” — the warrior — is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, right?

Seniors may experience more anxiety-inducing situations than younger adults, and they may not have as many resources for support. Some people may notice that their anxious thoughts get stronger or more frequent with age, but anxiety is a treatable mental health disorder.

Is social media bad for us? Four billion people, around 50% of the world’s population, use online social media — and we’re spending an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting, and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. That breaks down to around half a million tweets and Snapchat photos shared every minute. Stress, mood, anxiety, depression, sleep — or rather, lack of sleep — and self-esteem: Overall, social media’s effects on well-being are ambiguous, according to a paper written last year by researchers from the Netherlands. However, they suggested there is clearer evidence for the impact on one group of people: Social media has a more negative effect on the well-being of those who are more socially isolated.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and horrible negativism. Yes, I confess, I’m also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me. Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being sounded.

The overbearing person, who tyrannizes the weak, wants to domineer, and blusters, is simply nothing else than a worrier who claims to be a friend. But he isn’t. Really not! The bullying of fellow citizens by means of dread and fright has been going on since Paleolithic times. The night wolf is eating the moon. Give me silver, and I’ll make him spit it out.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy life instead of our woe? Worrying itself is pointless. Of course, no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education, or uniquely responsible governments. Let’s seek out the worries but avoid the warriors because they try to avoid liberty.

Worry, that sense of insecurity, unease, and fear over what negative events may happen — as unrealistic as these concerns may be — is one of the most unpleasant emotions that you can experience as a human being. It is also one of the most common. While everyone has worried at some point, many people suffer from chronic worrying in the form of anxiety. In Australia alone, 2 million people will suffer from anxiety in any one year.

If you worry often, you’re far from alone. In fact, it may comfort you to know that many of us tend to worry about the same issues. All of those anxieties and stressors that may plague your life also affect a huge chunk of the rest of the world as well.

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D., is a practicing psychologist, author, speaker, and life and business coach with more than 20 years of experience as a clinician, professor, and researcher. She says: “One of the most helpful things you can do instead of worrying is problem-solving. Problem-solving means defining the problem in a way that you can do something about it (e.g., ‘How do I prepare for a possible loss of income?’ or ‘How can I learn to accept that my ex has moved on?’). Once you have a defined problem, you can generate some possible solutions and think through the likely consequences of each (e.g., ‘What is most likely to happen if I do X?’). Finally, you can implement your favorite solution, whether it involves taking action, discussing the situation, finding out more information, or working to accept something you cannot change.”

If you are still worrying right now about something, try to read Jeremiah 29:10-14 or Revelation 21:1-8, just to mention these two. It works.

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