It’s game time! Last week, after our zoomed-in discussion of worry in our lives, I promised you that we’d play a game to assess just how worried we are. How fun! In order to address worry well, we have to go pretty deep with our conversation and subsequent reflection. This isn’t the fun part, people. We have to confront the reasons we worry.
As I was working on this post, I came across some of the top reasons people worry. I’ll share them here in the spirit of offering you a “True Confessions Time” in which you admit which of these categories sparks worry in your heart and mind. Ready? No? Well, you’re coming along anyway.
1. Weight. If you’re struggling with the number on the scale, changing hormones, social approval, and the like, clearly, you’re not alone. We're busy and it's hard to eat healthy and exercise when we're on the go. If you’ve succumbed to this form of slavery, you likely allowed your day to be ruined or made by the number on the scale in the morning. What was the commercial that showed people with their bathroom scale chained to their ankle as they went about their day? Yikes.
2. Health. Stressful lives can lead us to neglect self-care, eat poorly, or compromise sleep, which can compound health issues down the road. We also spend a lot of time thinking about the health of people in our lives.
3. Appearance. Yes, this category is different from the weight issue above. When we worry about appearance, we’re focused on hair, clothing, accessories, keeping up appearances, aging, trends, brand names, and social comparison with how other people look.
4. Job/purpose. We’re on a constant quest when it comes to what we’re doing with our life and time. Issues like work-life balance, job satisfaction, stress, job security, and your motivation levels can weigh on the mind. We even ask bigger questions like, "Is this what I'm meant to do right now? What is my purpose? Am I doing enough?"
5. Finances. What an area for worry! In a world that seems to run on money, it’s no surprise that we worry about paying bills, covering tuition, managing debt, saving for the future, and being ready for the unexpected.
6. Family. How is your family? Are you spending enough time with them, launching your children successfully, keeping everyone healthy, and caring enough for the well-being of family members?
7. Relationships. In this category, we address our relationships of choice in life and worry about getting enough time with a spouse, nurturing long-term relationships, handling conflict, and maintaining our friendships.
So? Which categories stood out to you as the greatest sources of worry in your life? Why those categories? You can ponder these questions a bit longer if you’d like, but I’m motivated to take you beyond this list. Why? Well, while we may worry about these things often, this list feels a bit superficial to me. I find that list deeply unsatisfying as a tool for really understanding my worries. To prove it to you, come back next week when we take a deeper dive beyond this list into the true drivers of worry.
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