Despite the fact I’ve never heard of a hot water system randomly exploding and injuring anyone… I will not let my baby crawl around near ours while I’m hanging clothes on the line.
Similarly, despite the fact that I’ve never heard of a car spontaneously combusting while being filled with petrol, I really hate having my kids in the car at the petrol station.
Yes, that’s right. Like many people I know, I spend large chunks of my day perceiving danger everywhere I look and worrying someone I love is going to get hurt.
Why do people worry?
I know why I worry.
It’s because I’m a control freak and believe that by worrying about something, I can control it into not happening. Also, being a control freak, I cannot bear the thought of being blindsided… of having something happen to me I never saw coming.
This means every migraine I have is a brain tumour, every sore spot under my armpits is leukaemia, and every rash my baby has is meningococcal.
The irony? The stuff I worry about never happens. But other shitty stuff does.
I worried for years about my partner, siblings, parents – anyone I loved basically – driving late at night and being killed by someone drunk driving. Then I lost my brother in a car accident. One that happened in broad daylight, on a completely run-of-the-mill Thursday afternoon – no alcohol involved.
For years, I worried about athlete friends of mine being hit by a car whilst out on their bikes. Then one of those friends died from heart failure in the middle of a run he’d been doing for 10+ years.
Top Comments
Great post Kelly! I have been a chronic worrier my whole life and ramped up after I had kids. I find some relief from following the techniques from ACT which focuses on mindfulness too. Like you say trying to think about every possibility is extremely exhausting and things that happen are generally out of the blue.
When my worrying starts to increase I know that it's time to go slow and take better care of myself. Walking, yoga and doing something creative helps me get out of my head.
I'm not a worrier but I'm blessed with two daughters who are. I'm passing this on to them as it is so well written, concise and to the point.
I like to plan for things that are likely to happen, having insurance and a wiil and superannuation.
I dont plan for the unlikely, alien invasions, planes Im on crashing or icebergs in the pacific.