I am not sure there is a person alive that does not “worry”. A “Worrier” refers to a person that spends a lot of time thinking about problems that he/she has or unpleasant things that might happen. There are LOTS of things to worry about including:
- The health and wellness of ourself and loved ones
- Financial stability
- Events occurring in our country and the world
- What the future holds
This list can go on and on and on. There is a sort of blurred distinction between a “worrier” and someone that suffers from generalized anxiety disorder (“GAD”). People with GAD have an exaggerated state of “worrying” and often the amount of anxiety/worry they feel is out of proportion to the things/events they are worrying about.
There are many situations that cause us to worry that we cannot control. As examples, future Covid mutations that may spread, the inflation surge and events going on in Ukraine/Russia are causes for worry, but we have no control over these. As far as causes for worry that are not under our control, several helpful techniques to combat this worry (or anxiety) are:
- Determine what you can control
- Focus on your influence
- Identify your fears
- Differentiate between ruminating and problem-solving
- Create a plan to manage your stress
- Develop healthy affirmations
Let’s turn to the weight control arena: Is “worrying” associated with poor weight control? I believe the answer is definitely “Yes”. Most of the worrying revolves around the health ramifications of not being able to shed the weight. Being successful in losing the weight and keeping that weight off will obviate lots of worrying as this relates to our health and wellness.
Let’s go back up to those bullet points above: We CAN control our weight. We CAN focus on our influence. We CAN create a plan (or join a great program such as Serotonin-Plus!). We CAN problem-solve as opposed to ruminating about our weight control.
And for you Bob Marley fans out there, enjoy “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”:
