Why Worry?

2020 has been filled with so many unfamiliar scenarios out of our control. The natural tendency is to worry or become anxious. My mom and I are making concerted efforts to take a different approach. When things arise that would naturally concern us, we started evaluating whether there is something we can do about it. If we can’t, which is often these days, we say, “why worry?”. Then we usually laugh because by then one of us has already started down the rabbit hole of “what ifs?'“ when the other one checks her with “why worry?” (translation: you’re spending all of this time getting wound up about something you have no control over, why?). It’s become our thing. Dog has diarrhea, but keeps eating dead worms and anything else he can find, why worry? Swamped at work, why worry? Painters didn’t complete all the needed repairs in the house, why worry? My mom has had the “Why Worry?” poem in her office ever since I was a child. It states:

“Why Worry? In life there are only two things to worry about:

Whether you are well,
or whether you are sick.

Now if you are well,
You have nothing to worry about.

And if you are sick,
You only have two things to worry about:
Whether you get better,
or whether you die.

If you get better,
You have nothing to worry about.

And if you die,
You only have two things to worry about:
Whether you go to heaven,
or whether you go to hell Now if you go to heaven,
You have nothing to worry about.
And if you go to hell, You’ll be too busy shaking hands with Your friends,
that you won't have time to worry.
So Why Worry?

In the alternative, if you can do something about it, don’t worry, act! Strategize to fix whatever could trouble you.

I encourage you to only spend your energy on things that you can change or control. Life becomes way less frustrating and we are able to make bigger, more sustainable impact this way. The world needs you to focus on things you can make a difference in, don’t stress about the rest. Your body, mind and soul need you to protect it from stress and strain. Not worrying is a big form of self-care and self-love. It does not mean you are uninformed and don’t care, it means you protect your mind and heart by living intentionally and peacefully.

Please note: not worrying is aspirational, we all will worry about something sometime, but if we are able to limit the worrying we can live fuller, more joy filled lives.

Wishing you peace and joy that outweighs worry and fear!