Worried? Why That’s The Least Helpful Thing To Do

Lights Camera, Wisdom!

“Aren’t you worried?” -James Donovan

“Would it do any good?” -Rudolph Abel

This snippet of dialogue from the movie Bridge of Spies gives me a fascinating perspective on my overly busy mind. I tend to think in prep-mode. I want to be prepared for anything. In other words, I hope for the best, but I prepare for the worst. Sometimes, the stress of that preparation dips into worry. Heck, who am I kidding? It does that a lot!

In that movie, things get increasingly worse for the spy Rudolph Abel. As things get worse, there are several scenes in which James Donovan asks him:
“Aren’t you worried?“

“What it do any good?” Abel replies.

And that got me thinking. What do we accomplish when we worry?

Bear with me here. What do we really accomplish? Are we using the energy we’re spending on making things better? Or are we simply being little hamsters in a wheel, running but not getting anywhere? Because make no mistake. If you’re worried, you’re expending a ton of energy. Your body and mind are in fight or flight mode. So, you’re burning energy you could be using to fix things on being anxious about what could happen.

Worry: The world’s worst fitness plan

Trouble is, while you burn calories with your worry, you’re also increasing the stress hormone, Cortisol. So, again, you create a situation where you expend a ton of energy but don’t solutions. Additionally, the stress and Cortisol affect your health long-term. Here is a question I ask myself when I face the possibility of worry.

What is one thing I can do right now to improve my situation?

It doesn’t have to be something huge. In fact, it’s better, if it isn’t. A small step boosts your mood and confidence. You’ll start small. But that’s when the magic happens. Each new, tiny step you take will open up other steps. Soon, you’ll be moving toward a solution.

And if there’s nothing you can do, right now, focus on something else.

Ultimately, that’s what this moment in the movie taught me. If Rudolph Abel, who was facing charges of treason, refused to worry, what good does it do for me? So, the next time you face worry, ask yourself the above two questions. And then move forward from there.

How do you handle stress? Need ideas? Comment below.

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