Do not worry about the past or the future. This moment needs your attention, for this is where your life exists.
If we didn’t worry about some things, we’d get eaten alive. However, there are many studies saying that worry is actually good for you. One study shows that people who worry actually live longer than those who are eternally optimistic. But, on the flip side, worrying can have negative side effects as well. It can lead to high blood pressure, disrupt your sleep, and create anxiety.
Did you know that worrying is a sign of intelligence? Researchers surveyed 126 undergraduate students about their feelings in regards to anxiety, depression and worry. They were presented with various statements to gauge just how much they worried about situations they’d already experienced and events they would most likely, eventually, experience. The results were ranked on an anxiety and intelligence scale and found that students who ranked high on the verbal intelligence scale tended to worry more often. It was determined that high verbal intelligence is basically the “analyzing intel” skill, aka what people who worry do 24/7.
“People who are verbally intelligent have the capacity to replay past events and think of future possibilities to a greater extent than other people. This is what leads to the dwelling that causes anxiety.” On the other hand, people who were stronger in terms of non-verbal intelligence were deemed better at analyzing events happening in real time.
They didn’t see reason to worry as they aren’t replaying previous situations over and over in their minds. And when you think about it, it makes sense.
How do we know that people who dwell on circumstances are actually on the right track?
- People who worry are extremely and intrinsically well aware of the implications of their actions. They know how things will unfold, which explains why their minds are completely consumed by their anxiety.
- You’re attentive to detail. Worriers are meticulous. They are never comfortable with uncrossed Ts or undotted Is. They aren’t rushing through anything and always make double-checking anything they do a top priority.
- It puts other things into perspective. You can tell a lot about what’s important in your life by looking at what you’re fixating on. If you can’t stop freaking out over something, chances are it’s because it’s currently the most important aspect of your life.
- Your plans are always air tight. You know those people who can never decide what to do on any given night? Well, for the worriers, that is never the case. They know what to do and construct a plan around it, leaving little to no room for error.
- You never lose touch with people. You always know how all your friends are doing because you’d never want them to think you don’t value them. You’d be too worried they’d notice! You are not the type to let months pass between texts. You always have your friends on your mind and you’re always concerned about how they’re doing.
- You always get sh*t done. When you’re constantly worrying, you will never leave a task unfinished. In fact, you’ll go above and beyond to ensure every piece of work is your best work.
- You are a positive influence on your friends. Most people throw caution to the wind, but this isn’t the case when it comes to you. The safe one of the group is the one who always keeps everyone else grounded, and always remains realistic of the prospects in any given situation.
- You worry so other people don’t have to (and they love you for it). No one even bothers to worry because they know you’ve got it covered. Everyone in your life knows your views and respects them.
- Your family trusts your judgment. When you travel to far off and distant places, your family trusts you enough to skip the safety lecture. These people know you as well, if not better, than you know yourself.
- Everyone always feel safe around you. You worry enough for everyone, so everyone feels at ease when you’re around.
- You don’t suppress your emotions. While others may downplay their insecurities, you couldn’t be bothered with it. You’re upfront with your feelings and completely own your neuroticism.
- Everyone knows exactly what you’re about. Once a worrier, always a worrier. You feel no shame in how you feel and all of your friends love and appreciate this about you.
- It shows you where your priorities lie. When you’re worrying about one thing, you’re ignoring something else… aka you know exactly what’s most important to you. Regardless of how often you spend your time worrying, at least you know how to prioritize.
- It teaches you to learn from past mistakes. People who are constantly replaying past situations in their minds are the ones who’ll learn the most from the error of their ways. They’re too nervous to ever deal with whatever unfortunate circumstance occurred to ever make the same decision again.
- It helps to plan for the future. Something didn’t work out for you before? It’s okay because you know better than to take that route again. Anyone who’s reflected enough on a past problem knows the exact way to construct his or her future. Whoever said worrying was problematic certainly has never thought about it in this light.
Long live the worriers for they are us!