On Worrying Too Much

Hey guys, so sorry but today's going to be a bit of a short post. Have some things to do around here today then have to go out. Also, small update on my SUPER SECARET project, since I'm so busy this week doesn't look like it'll be ready yet. But it is progressing along and should be ready to post next week. Please look forward to it *bow*.

Anyway, today I thought I'd just talk a bit about worrying too much. It's something that I am quite familiar with - I am and always have been a very worried person. Even as a child, if my parents were a bit late getting home from something, my head would always be filled with terrible thoughts, thinking they would never be coming home. As I grew older it turned into a fairly crippling anxiety problem. Those problems are improving now though, since I've managed to get some help with them, and so I just wanted to talk about one of the biggest things I've learned.

So, as is common, the main way that my anxiety manifested itself was worrying about things before they would happen. Like, before I would go to something, anything from a party/friends gathering to something as simple as going to a store, I would think about all the things that might go wrong. In my sick mind, I justified it by thinking that I was just preparing myself for the worst, so if something DID go wrong, I'd be ready and be able to handle it. But what I've learned now, is that it's just not worth it. See, potential problems aren't actually problems at all. They're problems that you're making up for yourself. And if you go through life looking for problems...well, that's all you're going to find.

So I'm not saying that we should all just go through life all devil may care, just taking everything as it comes. Some form of planning and forethought is needed. But I've found that having a bit of that attitude just makes things...nicer. Let's take an example, if I am going somewhere that I have never been before. In the past, I would be all worried that things might not go as planned, and I might get lost or something. But now I just think...well, if something happens, I can just ask someone for help, or look up what to do on my phone. So now when I go somewhere, I put a lot less thought and planning into it. And you know what? It's always turned out perfectly fine. I always get where I'm going, and I feel a lot more happy and relaxed while getting there.

This all may seem kind of obvious for some people, who don't have anxiety problems. And you're right to be confused, it's a weird thing! But even so, maybe it's just something to think about. I have found that thinking about stuff like this has improved my life, so even if you are in a different position and situation than I am (well, you almost assuredly are), maybe it could help you in some way. Hopefully! (Apropos: Swedish House Mafia's Don't You Worry Child was in my head while writing this post. Hah.)

Anyway, that's about it I think. An exciting thing for me is tomorrow I will be going to Stratford to see Pete Townsend's rock opera Tommy. I'll be going with my family, as it was a father's day and birthday gift to my Dad from us. It should be an interesting experience for me, as I've never been to Stratford, nor seen a rock opera before. So on Friday I'll make a post writing about how it was. Should be good times!