Norma Jean Walton Presents 5 Ways to Combat Worry

Most people know the impatient "I'm fine--don't worry about me" moment that teenagers often have when they fail to comprehend their parents’ concern about their children’s safety. Similarly, adults might misunderstand a teen's anxiety about being part of the "right" social group or having the most fashionable hair or clothes. Some worry is normal in a world with many dangers and social pitfalls, but it is important for people to learn how to deal effectively with their anxieties.

People worry for many reasons, depending on their circumstances, their personal dispositions and family history, and other factors. When worry is a way of life, it becomes a problem with serious health implications. However, following some simple steps can help to reduce or eliminate excessive worry and the physical and mental problems that often come with it.

Denise Mann of WebMD explains the effects that persistent worry can have. A constant state of anxiety can cause physical symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome, nausea, and fatigue, as well as mental and emotional issues such as depression.

In extreme cases, people can develop generalized anxiety disorder or other neuroses that can make it difficult for them to function. These states of being can also have serious repercussions for the sufferers’ families, friends, and colleagues, who often have to take on added burdens to cope with the frequent crises that occur. Extreme worry also puts a strain on the health care system, since worriers are more likely than other people to consult doctors for every ache and pain and to overuse medications.

Dealing with the causes and symptoms of worry is important for avoiding its more serious implications. According to Norma Jean Walton, who juggles her daily responsibilities as a Toronto-based real estate executive and mother of four children, the first step in dealing with worry is to realize that having struggles is part of being alive. Despite her busy life, she still manages to take the time to be an avid blogger on a wide variety of topics. The second key for dealing with worry, in her view, is to keep on going despite the problems, or as she put it in her blog, “the key is to just keep on trucking.”

Third, in her comments on the futility of worry, Norma Walton notes that one way of living free of excessive caution is to notice how few of the things that people worry about actually happen. Far too often, people miss important moments in their lives by worrying about hypothetical situations that rarely, if ever, occur.

Fourth, once people have realized how few of the things that they fear are likely to happen, they can decide to stop worrying and really live. Being worry-free does not mean that they never have problems but rather that they deliberately choose to live above their worries.

The fifth key is to work at the problems when that is possible but to be aware of limitations. As Norma Walton says, “If you can change it, do. If not, stop worrying about it. Easy to say, much tougher some days to do!”

Worry is such a natural part of life that many people might find it hard to stop fretting. However, the benefits of reducing or eliminating worry make it worth the effort.