One second you're worrying about..

Jace

Jace

Well-known Member
the next...there's nothing to worry about!

Can you "turn it off"?

or not?
 

It’s hard when you know that worrying is counterproductive but you can’t turn it off. I used to have terrible insomnia because some thought would wake me up in the middle of the night and then I would perseverate.

I was on anti anxiety drugs when I was working full time but not since I retired. I rely on cannabis gummies or Benadryl now but also don’t really have a busy schedule do if I have a bad night, I just give in and read or something.

Meditation helps a lot too!
 
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Aunt Bea said:
I have to ask myself what’s the worst that can happen and come up with a plan to deal with it before the worry finally fades into the background.
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I do that, too.

Back when I worked in DC I used to have terrible, awful panic attacks on the subway. (I'm claustrophobic.) It spilled over into my life until I realized that if you give anxiety an inch, it will take a mile. I refused to give in to it.

That's not to say I don't still struggle with anxiety. I definitely do, especially lately because I've had a lot of unexpected expense.

Unfortunately, anxiolytics are not an option for me because several years back I got addicted to Xanax. I use a combination of tea, self-talk, and Hyland's Calms Forte (a homeopathic product) when I feel myself getting overwhelmed.

But to answer your question, @Jace, no, I cannot easily turn it off.
 
KSav said:
I do that, too.

Back when I worked in DC I used to have terrible, awful panic attacks on the subway. (I'm claustrophobic.) It spilled over into my life until I realized that if you give anxiety an inch, it will take a mile. I refused to give in to it.

That's not to say I don't still struggle with anxiety. I definitely do, especially lately because I've had a lot of unexpected expense.

Unfortunately, anxiolytics are not an option for me because several years back I got addicted to Xanax. I use a combination of tea, self-talk, and Hyland's Calms Forte (a homeopathic product) when I feel myself getting overwhelmed.

But to answer your question, @Jace, no, I cannot easily turn it off.
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The Calms Forte sounds interesting. I use the Himalaya Hello Peace supplement. I agree, you can’t will yourself to stop worrying or just turn it off.
 
I cannot turn worry off. It's strange, but sometimes it's worse when all is going well. It's during those times that I think "It's gone quietly for too long; something BIG is on the way."

This one quote is something I hold on to: "If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you." - Calvin Coolidge
 
That Lady in PA said:
Worry is a waste of time and energy.
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That maybe so, but last August my wife underwent heart surgery, her surgeon told me to expect bad days and good days. His prognosis that the good days increase but slowly has come to be. But tell me not to worry when I sit with the lady and she refuses food, hot drinks and will only just accept water to appease me, which is more or less an account of those bad days her surgeon spoke of.

Don;t worry, yeah right!
 
I look at worrying the same way I do if I were to get an urge for a smoke. (I haven't had one since 2006, it's just a good comparison.)

When I quit smoking this website I went to has a section called Joel's Library. I read in there that when you get an urge for a smoke, think of something else for three minutes and it will pass. That worked wonders for me. You can do the same thing if you're worried about something. When you think about it, think about something else instead. If you later think about it again, think about something else again. It's easy and believe me, it helps.

Then of course, I agree with Alfred E. Neuman...

what-me-worry.png
 
horseless carriage said:
That maybe so, but last August my wife underwent heart surgery, her surgeon told me to expect bad days and good days. His prognosis that the good days increase but slowly has come to be. But tell me not to worry when I sit with the lady and she refuses food, hot drinks and will only just accept water to appease me, which is more or less an account of those bad days her surgeon spoke of.

Don;t worry, yeah right!
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There IS a difference between worry and concern.
 
horseless carriage said:
That maybe so, but last August my wife underwent heart surgery, her surgeon told me to expect bad days and good days. His prognosis that the good days increase but slowly has come to be. But tell me not to worry when I sit with the lady and she refuses food, hot drinks and will only just accept water to appease me, which is more or less an account of those bad days her surgeon spoke of.

Don;t worry, yeah right!
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It will get better with time. You are a patient man and love her dearly. She will come back.
 
That Lady in PA said:
There IS a difference between worry and concern.
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Twostep said:
It will get better with time. You are a patient man and love her dearly. She will come back.
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I appreciate your comments, thank you. Just to let you know that the good days are good, the lady came home this afternoon, having had her hair coloured and styled. Now let me tell you both, she had some wow factor. She has always had her hair coloured, not ready for the grey hair yet, but her description of her colour choice cracks me up.

"Kick-Ass-Red!"
 
horseless carriage said:
I appreciate your comments, thank you. Just to let you know that the good days are good, the lady came home this afternoon, having had her hair coloured and styled. Now let me tell you both, she had some wow factor. She has always had her hair coloured, not ready for the grey hair yet, but her description of her colour choice cracks me up.

"Kick-Ass-Red!"
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That is a very good sign!
 
I'm not a worrier. That's my wife and daughter. I'm always talking them off the ledge.

There is one thing I get anxious about. Birthdays.

Our family has a history of people dying on other people's birthdays.

Once or twice might be coincidence. But 8-9 times?

I remember when my wife was scheduled for major surgery on my brother's birthday. That was the most scared I've ever been in my life.
 

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