The Worry Guru knocks anxiety out of you with
good ol' common sense
Never on the face of the Earth has there been a
bigger worry wart than me, so says my tormented
mother.
It's all her fault, God love her. She once used
to fret over things as minor as us kids hanging
out with a neighbor who had a teensy sore on her
knee.
"Could be impetigo," Mom would whisper and
frown. "That's the first step to gangrene, which
if you come down with you'll lose your leg,
which if you lose, you'll be in a wheelchair,
which if you are..." And so on.
Worry is the big "W."
It
kills, it makes people sick and crazy and is the
hamster wheel of misery.
Bonnie S. Burns professes to be the world's top
worrier and had no idea how to solve her problem
besides rolling around in blankets of fret and
angst. I called her hotline ((866) worry4u or
(866) 967-7948), first to make sure she wasn't a
get-rich scammer or some sort of
cyber-evangelist out to get money from those who
can't shake the worry rattles from their heads.
Instead, I found her to be what she claimed: "a
middle-aged, nice Jewish woman" with true
concern for others. Sure, she made her weakness
her business, but to me, that's pure genius.
In
an interview, she shared many of the top calls
and worries coming into her hotline and how many
are related to relationships, those twists and
rivulets of the heart that tangle, overflow, dry
up and drive us crazy.
Here's a recent question posed to the Worry
Guru:
Question: My son really wants the new Xbox. The
game is very expensive and not really in the
budget we set aside. I know he'll be very upset
since it's the only gift he requested.
Worry Guru: How old is your son?
Lady on line: 17.
Guru: Does he do well in school?
Lady: Yes. He does, but has few friends. I think
he's a bit shy.
Guru: If he does well in school, has little
social life and is healthy, tell him to get a
job and pay for his own Xbox. At 17, he should
understand money and budgets. He will also
appreciate it more ... and it can build his
self-esteem as he makes his own money.
I
asked Bonnie Burns, who has fleeced most of the
wool of her worry, if there was anything in life
NOT worth obsessing over. She came through like
a pro:
Things we have no control over.
Getting everything done on lists.
Put the past behind you and move on.
Do
not worry about your hair.
Worry is different for everyone. You can't avoid
worry. It is part of life. If you have to deal
with it, find a solution for it, such as getting
help.
Now, for the top ways Burns deals with worry:
I
realize some worries I can't control.
I
play a video game on my portable PlayStation.
I
read.
I
help people who worry.
I
watch old movies.
I
wash my car. Keeps my body active.
I
share my worries with a friend.
I
daydream.
I
use humor - lots of it.
I
shop. That means I buy a sports watch, not a
Rolex.
For more, visit
www.theworryclub.com
or www.worry- help-line.com.
by Susan Reinhardt
http://www.susanreinhardt.com/
