I have had friends and relatives who worried all the time. About all sorts of things. Most of which never came to pass. The problem for me was that all the exposure to their negative thinking was contagious. And, then I’d find myself worrying about things, too.

On occasion, I’ve had some serious things to be concerned about, but I’ve found that when I worry, I lose sleep which in turn causes me to accomplish less. So, I try to keep my problems in perspective.

I recall a friend’s grandmother saying, “Worry is like a rocking horse; it consumes time and energy but gets you nowhere.”

Worry stems from our fear of the unknown. It’s the anticipation of potential negative outcomes. We get anxious when we’ve invested time and effort into something, and it’s reasonable to have expectations about the future. Worry in small doses is normal. It’s tied to our sense of caution, and it helps us make plans, anticipate problems, and accomplish goals.

Too much worry, however, creates stress, and stress shuts down our ability to think creatively. When we can’t think creatively, we can’t solve the problem we were worried about to begin with.

 …