BY HELAINE R. WILLIAMS

What if I’m laid off?
What if there’s a terrorist attack in my town?
What if I flunk this test?
What if they don’t like me?

We’ve all heard such questions... questions regarding our lives that dwell on the worst-case scenario and haunt our minds like dank, malevolent spirits. Questions that eventually rob us of our joy, peace of mind and zest for life.

Questions we know as worry.

In a time where each day seems to bring headline news that’s worse than the day before, the presence of worry is understandable. Terrorist attacks and job layoffs aside, just coping in a fast-paced world with myriad demands on our time and attention can be rich soil for the seeds of worry.

We wonder how we can keep our kids from falling prey to Internet pedophiles. We wonder how we can avoid defaulting on our home-equity loan. We wonder what we’ll do if our company follows the Enron road and we lose our retirement funds. But prolonged worry can be downright dangerous. It saps us of our mental and physical health, all while failing to solve a thing.

Worry’s cousin, stress, is our body and mind’s reaction to the trials of daily life, whereas worry is what we think will happen to us. But the health consequences of the two are similar. "Chronic worry is linked to a variety of health problems," says Dr. Linda L. M. Worley, associ- ate professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

Worry leads to stress, which turns on the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These speed the heart up, increase the blood pressure, tense the muscles, activate the immune system and sometimes raise blood sugar. "All those things are helpful if somebody’s chasing you" or if you are in a life or death situation, Worley says. "The problem in our society is, we sometimes don’t let ourselves relax and have that tension subside." So the chronic worrier is then at risk for such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and, thanks to the cortisol, a suppressed immune system. A high cortisol level also increases abdominal fat and makes it harder to lose weight. "And then people turn to doing bad things to cope" such as substance abuse, overeating and drinking, Worley adds. Chronic worry can also can lead to memory problems, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

SNOWBALL EFFECT The Web site of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland (anxietyandstress. com) describes worry as "a special form of fear." " To create worry, humans elongate fear with anticipation and memory, expand it in imagination, and fuel it with emotion, "according to the site. But experts agree that there is such a thing as" healthy worry, "aka concern. For instance, if a person’s doctor has told him that he is at increased risk for a disease, concern is what will lead him to do what he should to avoid contracting it. And if a person is" worried" about how he’ll do on a school examination, for instance, he is likely to study, and he is likely to be keyed up to do his best on the test. "So you really want to have the right amount of anxiety," Worley says.

THOU SHALT NOT WORRY The distinction between "good" and "bad" worry can be seen in the doctrines of most religions, says Jay McDaniel, chairman of the religion department at Hendrix College at Conway. "[These] religions draw a distinction between worrying about the future in a compulsive way, and being naturally concerned with the future in a non-compulsive way," McDaniel says. "They help us find ways of being ‘centered’ in the present moment, so that we live from trust rather than fear. They give us confidence that, no matter what happens, we will have the inner resources to respond to what happens."

Which is why turning to religion or spirituality is seen as one of the main refuges for worriers. "More specifically, [they turn] to practices such as scripture study and meditation, church-going and daily prayer, as anchors for daily life and moral compasses for a meaningful future," McDaniel says.

When discussing worry, Christians often refer to Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God...." But the trust and confidence people show through religion doesn’t mean they will lead "worry-free" lives, McDaniel says. "Even enlightened Buddhists worry in normal, non-compulsive ways; so do sincere Jews, Muslims and Christians," he says. "... When they are true to the depths of their traditions, they find that they are not controlled or overwhelmed by worry."

Different religions have different antidotes to unhealthy worry, McDaniel says. "Some people believe that worry is unnecessary because ‘everything that happens is meant to happen.’ They say that everything happens for a reason. They may attribute this reason to ‘God’s will’ or to ‘karma.’ Other people believe that some things happen by virtue of natural causes which have nothing to do with God’s will or even with karma. They do not believe that the future is pre-determined or pre-known by God, but rather that, whatever happens, God will provide resources to respond."

The latter view is called process theology, which is endorsed by Christians, Jews and some Muslims and Buddhists, McDaniel says. "It says that even God is in process, along with the world, and that we can add to the world’s beauty by cooperating with God’s call to love. Healthy worry, then, is worry that cooperates in this way. It is worry rooted in love. Unhealthy worry is worry rooted in fear. The key, in all religions, is to replace fear-based worry with love-based concern, and to act on the latter."

ALL IN YOUR HEAD Chronic worry can also be caused by factors that call for such remedies as medication, behavior modification and/or therapy. These include medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, particularly in women; dietary practices, such as drinking too much coffee; abuse of stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine; or attention deficit disorder, Worley says. Worry also is a factor in a host of psychological disorders, including panic disorder (panic attacks), social phobia (a profound fear of public speaking), obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, somatization disorder (multiple physical complaints, aches, etc., with no discernible medical cause), hypochondriasis and post traumatic stress disorder. Worry itself has been classified as a disorder: generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is defined as unfounded, exaggerated worry, anxiety and tension that goes on for six months or longer. Symptoms include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance. Treatments for worry-related disorders include such prescription medications as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Luvox.

Unfortunately, many people just try to numb their reactions to these disorders by abusing alcohol or illegal drugs, Worley says. "It’s important to get treatment for that problem.

" You should think about anxiety as a warning sign that you might be in danger. If you feel it... find out what’s causing it. "If you can’t figure that out, look at what you’re thinking. If your thoughts are distorted," it’s time to talk to somebody. "

Less-serious worriers will find the world full of ways to combat their problem. Anti-worry measures include spas, books and tapes and various trinkets, such as stress balls and worry beads.

Humor is another good way to combat worry... something to which Bonnie S. Burns will attest. Burns, of Phoenix, is president of The Worry Club. Its Web site, theworryclub. com, describes itself as a place" where someone else does your worrying. "

A consultant and Web designer, Burns says The Worry Club began during a time when she found herself so stressed over job and personal issues that she was unable to sleep or eat. A friend suggested she build a Web site about worry." I was always known as ‘ the CEO of The Worry Club, ’" she says.

Burns and several friends serve as the "professional worriers" of the fictional club, allowing visitors to take a load off. The site includes such features as stress-relief games; a link to Worry University — "Home of the Fighting Neurotics!" — a Worry Store; articles; recommended books; and a link for people to e-mail their worries.

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