The Reasoning Behind the Pointlessness of Worrying
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Health and Wellness

The Reasoning Behind the Pointlessness of Worrying

Be in the present.

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The Reasoning Behind the Pointlessness of Worrying
Irene Yi

"Don't worry, be happy."

Oh, I know. Trust me, I've heard it before. I also know that this is much easier said than done. But hey, worrying is pointless.

No, really. You're rolling your eyes at me right now. You just can't help but worry. If you don't study for this test, you won't do well in the class. You'll lose your 4.0. You won't get into a good college. You won't land a good job. You'll never accomplish your dreams and change the world for the better. You might as well just drop out of school now.

I've been there. In fact, I am there right now. I am still debating between studying for the calc test or just quitting school and becoming a stripper (they make a good deal of money, and I've got my makeup and costumes from dance anyway). I am there every night before a chem test, questioning how I managed to put off studying for so long. I worry the night before the test. I worry in the class before the test. I worry during the test. I even worry after I took the test--when worrying is utterly pointless.

I think we need to stop the cycle of worry.

Something I learned in my psychology class was the cognitive theory school of thought. These psychologists reasoned that many anxious thoughts stem from a distorted way of thinking. Someone who sees a failed test as the end of the world might fall into a whirlwind spiral of negative thoughts; the domino effect dictates where their thought process would go. These cognitive psychologists work to eradicate this negative way of thinking. They would persuade the patient that yes, one thing in your life went wrong. You need to accept that. It will not effect your entire life. It will not ruin your life. It will not ruin your grand plans.

And this is why worry is pointless. If we should worry about all these things that we can't change, we would spend all of our time in distress, unable to move on and work on bigger and better things. Thus, this would put us in a bad cycle. We don't want this.

To overcome this, focus on the now. Think not so much about the past and the future, for neither of those exist. A friend of mine brought up the fact that essentially, the past and the future are not tangible. The past has already gone away, and the future will never be here; it will always be one step ahead. If you were to linger in the past, you could never move forward. Similarly, if you spent your time thinking about the future, you'd never work--here and now--to reach that future.

Focusing on the present moment and your current conditions is all you can do. Working to better yourself, in this moment, is the only way you'll be at peace. And that's why worrying is so unnecessary. If all you know is right now, what's there to worry about?

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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