Super quick disclaimer: I cannot speak for people who have diagnosed anxiety or suffer from depression or a combination of mental illnesses. There are differing levels of stress, worries, and anxiety which sometimes require people to seek extra help from various support outlets. As I am unaware if I fall into any of these categories, I do not have expertise on the experience or side effects. Therefore, I cannot evaluate that experience. I can only talk about my own experiences with general worrying.

I am an avid worrier. I worry about what I ate during the day, I worry if I will have enough time to get my homework done, I worry about what I should say in a professional email, I worry about the time I spent at the gym and if I spent enough time exercising, I worry if I did or didn’t say hello to a person, I worry if I will get enough sleep and what will happen if I don’t receive enough sleep; basically, I worry a lot.

People reading this may be alarmed, but IRONICALLY, don't worry: I promise you I can hold a conversation amidst the worrying.

People reading this may also think, "Wow, I didn't know Grace worried so much." Well, now you know. I worry just like every other person, maybe more... maybe not.

The point I am trying to make (I guess that defeats the purpose of making the point if I am outright stating the point, but whatever) is that worrying has helped me more than it has not. Sounds crazy, right?

I’m constantly thinking, “Have I applied to enough jobs? Will I have a job when I graduate? What happens if I don’t? Will I be happy?” The list of stress inducing thoughts goes on.

Let’s go further.

When I’m stressed, I say what I need to do out loud to my friends and family and any other people who won’t judge my incessant rambling. I’m aware I am probably stressing you out with the long list of things I obsess over, but I hope I haven’t lost you yet!

For the longest time, I thought I was crazy for worrying about these details. I believed all the people who told me, “You’re crazy.” I worried they were right.

Now, they may truly think I am crazy for my agonies, but I have come to terms with my worrying. It’s one of the greatest tools I possess in life.

My worrying is what keeps me on track. My worrying keeps me focused and constantly urges me to question life in new ways... ways which keep me on my feet. Questioning pushes me to reevaluate things and find different routes that I didn't previously see. It leads me to question myself, “Am I being lazy? Can I do this better? If so, how can I do this better?”

For example: I worry about what I eat because I have good reason to: I worked really hard last summer to eat better while continuing to regularly exercise and lift weights. Macho, macho girl. Consequently, I lost weight, and I am happier at my current weight. If I allow myself to get comfortable, or to stop worrying, I may gain that weight back, and I may not be as comfortable, happy, or athletic as I am now.

Now, weight is only a number, but when that number constricts you from being athletic and keeps you from the clothes you previously LOVED, I personally think it is OK to want a different number, especially if you're seeking that number in a healthy way. What constitutes healthy is also beyond my expertise. However, if that number takes over your life and causes you to do things you wouldn’t want others to know about, things which would concern your loved ones– that’s something else. But this is an entirely different discussion, one I am not trying to delve into at the moment.

Worrying is good... as long as it's good -- if that makes sense. It's good in healthy doses, again, the doses which help you make better decisions.

Let’s talk about worrying about any type of work you have. Worrying about work is OK. It means you care. It means you have invested yourself in what you’re doing and desire success in whatever product you’re putting out. To me, there is something beautiful in that.

Worrying about a paper or an article (such as this) that means a lot to you is OK because you have put part of yourself into the work, and you want others to respect your work as well – for quality, effort, time, beauty, etc.

Holding yourself accountable is not a bad thing. I have never heard of an employer putting down an employee because they were too worried about a final product. Again, the employer may say, “Relax.” But again, you care which shows through your actions and your worries. This will lead you to seek feedback and better your final product. Additionally, the key to feedback is listening while remembering that the ultimate feedback is your own, aka "take what you hear with a grain of salt" – again, another side topic.

However, if an exam has you so worried you’re chewing off your nails in a library basement and going to class with bloodshot eyes and a migraine, then your worrying may not be so healthy – unless you’re OK with severe headaches and no nails.

Let’s talk about stressing over communication. I worry about communication because COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT – at least it is to me. By wondering if I am adequately responding to an email, I am actually taking the measures to ensure I am appropriately communicating what needs to be communicated. This leads me to be a better communicator which leads to better results in my personal and professional life.

Side note: I envy people who do not worry about communication (or at least it seems like they don’t because they seem to speak their honest mind). I want to be able to communicate without worrying, and I am working on being more open to my honest thoughts rather than constantly trying to relate to others or please someone else with my response.

Butttttttttt......so far, wondering if I am communicating appropriately has not done too much harm. This courtesy I utilize in my daily activities helps me achieve my desired results. It's all about balance though. If you find yourself in a library basement deliberating the last conversation you had for three hours, that may not be so good; the same goes with sending seven texts to a person, affirming you got your point across – that may be excessive.

Let's add in some science to back my claims! WOO. Empirical research.

Some studies discuss how worrying can be helpful in situations and lead to better coping methods. When a person worries, they usually imagine worst case scenarios. In one study, these worriers, pondering disastrous scenarios, were better prepared to handle the bad news which life can deliver.

Other studies correlate worrying with intelligence. These are just studies, but they back my argument: stop worrying about your worries. Sometimes, worrying means you have accessed a part of your brain – whoa, so scientific – that others have not. It means you’re keen with details, and you ask (AND ANSWER...over and over and over) the questions that others cannot surface. Also, you're most likely verbally intelligent which is a kinda cool added bonus.

The point is: stop worrying about worrying. Worrying can be healthy in the appropriate doses. If someone is telling you to stop caring about something that you worry about, maybe you should worry about why they're telling you to stop caring -- just another side note.