7/5/25-Combatting Stress: Why Worry?

There are somethings we do to ourself that lead to extra stress and anxiety. One of the big ones is unnecessary worry.

I used to read a comedy magazine back when I was young called “Mad Magazine.” It’s spokesperson was Alfred E. Newman. His motto was, “What, Me Worry?” I would never look towards a fictional character from a satiric magazine as a role model, but he did have some sound advice.

Maybe I should instead refer to Mark Twain, who once said, “I’ve suffered a great many misfortunes, most of which never happened.” I think what he was trying to say in simpler terms was that he spent much time worrying about things that in the past and especially in the future. Things that didn’t even occur.

We worry about the past that we cannot change. We worry about the future that is uncertain. We worry about things we don’t control.

We have a very narrow range of things we actually can control. We can control our own behavior, our family to a limited extent, our job and how we vote. But we spend a lot of time worrying about things that are out of our power. And that worry only fuels our stress and anxiety.

I think we would all be happier and healthier if we realized the limitations on our scope and influence. We can devote our energy on the things that we can control. Trust that the things beyond our control will take care of themselves. And if they don’t worrying about them won’t make them any different, because they are out of our hands.