What, Me Worry?

That flippant attitude symbolized by the Alfred E. Neuman character on the Mad magazine covers is much easier said than realized. Especially in today’s complicated world and a down economy, worrying is pretty hard to avoid. Here are some tips about how to stop worrying from the Mental Health section of About.com: Here's How:
  • Make a list of things that you worry about.
  • Set aside 15-30 minutes every day as a "worry time" and spend that time intentionally worrying.
  • If you catch yourself worrying at other times -- yell "STOP" to yourself and make a list of things you were worrying about.
  • At your "worry time" that day, spend some time worrying about items on the list.
  • Modify the amount of time you spend worrying as you begin to get your thinking more under your own control.
  • At the end of your worry time for the day spend a few minutes planning more realistically for the future.
    • Tips:
  • Worrying and planning both involve thinking about the future -- but planning is productive.
  • Setting aside time to worry is especially helpful if worry keeps you awake at night.
  • Sometimes getting more information about a subject will alleviate worry.
  • Worry is a form of obsessive thinking. Consider therapy if it interferes in your life.
    • * * * * * About Alfred E. Neuman: According to Toonopedia.com, “Mad magazine's first use of the Alfred E. Neuman face was on the cover of its first reprint volume, The Mad Reader, published in November, 1954. In the comic book itself, he first turned up on the cover of #21 (January, 1955). Four months later, when the publication was reformatted as a magazine, he again appeared on the cover, in addition to playing cameo roles in several interior items, and he's been the magazine's official mascot ever since.” “He's been depicted on the Mad cover as Santa Claus, George Washington, Superman, Darth Vader, Uncle Sam and many other familiar personages. His apparent occupations include, but are far from limited to, high-wire performer, big-game hunter, teenage mutant ninja turtle, doctor, lawyer and Indian guru. It was in #29 (May, 1956) that the face was first joined with the Neuman name, and they've been together ever since.” “When, in 1956, the Madmen decided to make him their permanent mascot, Al Feldstein, who had just taken over as editor, commissioned portrait artist Norman Mingo to render the face as a fully-realized, three-dimensional character — up until then, it had only appeared as simple line drawings. Mingo's painting became the basis for all subsequent renditions — and by the time Mingo died, in 1980, his fame for creating the definitive rendition of Alfred E. Neuman had eclipsed all his previous work.”

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    The Un-Comfort Zone

    This Month: What's Keeping You Awake?

    with Robert Wilson

    The other day on the radio I heard these lyrics from the Shinedown song, If You Only Knew: “It's 4:03 and I can't sleep/I toss and turn like the sea." I thought, "Yeah, why is it always 4:00 a.m. that I wake up when I'm worried about something?" The singer of this Top Ten pop rock song was troubled by a woman.

    What's keeping you awake?

    Most of us, at one time or another, have spent sleepless hours in bed worrying about something. Then making it worse, you're tired the whole next day.

    Over the years, I've ruminated over all sorts of things. Big issues I have little or no control over like politics, the environment, terrorism, and the economy. Personal issues that I need to affect such as my business, my family, and my relationships. I have even worried over my volunteer work. Churning the same thoughts over and over again.

    Some of us worry about the past -- what could've been if only we had done something differently. Others worry about some future problem that hasn't even occurred yet.

    Worry feels like motivation because it is rooted in the desire to fix a situation, but it is actually a de-motivator. It robs us of valuable energy we need to live a productive life. I love this modern update to an old proverb: "Worry is a brisk ride on a rocking horse; you burn a lot of energy, but you don't get anywhere." It is an amusing proverb that creates an accurate metaphor, but it does not offer us an answer on how to deal with worry.

    For a simple solution on countering worry, I've always enjoyed the lyrics of this Irving Berlin song from the movie White Christmas: "When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep; and I fall asleep, counting my blessings." Although, I must admit that I didn't really hear these sage words or make use of them for years.

    When I finally did, I found that it really works. Sometimes we have to start with the basics, and remind ourselves of all that we do have and all that is going smoothly in our lives in order to put the troubling matter into perspective: "I have a roof over my head, I have my health, I have food in the house, I have a car, I have friends, etc."

    I recently revisited Dale Carnegie's book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. It was written during the Great Depression and World War II, a period of time when most people had plenty to stress over. The advice still holds up today.

    The trick is to divert your pensive energy into practical projects. Carnegie suggests that we focus on doing our best one day at a time and the future will take care of itself. In other words, keep busy! Get so caught up in your work that you have no time to ponder all the "what ifs" that have been running like a broken record in your mind.

    He also suggests that you ask yourself, "What is the worst that could happen?" Then he says to either accept that or seek out the answers you need to fix it. If you choose the latter, you must collect all the facts, analyze them, make a decision, and then act on it.

    I think his best suggestion is to spend your time helping others. When you focus on what you can do for others, you cannot at the same time focus on yourself. Or, in the words of one unknown author, "When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own."

    Eventually you can utter the immortal words of Alfred E. Neuman, "What, me worry?"

    * * * * *

    Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

    P.S. Please Connect With Me:


    http://www.linkedin.com/in/graffitiguy
    http://www.facebook.com/robevanswilson

    * * * * *

    Read past editions of The Uncomfort Zone:

    Keeping the Ball Rolling

    Bleed it Out

    The Secret for People Who Don’t Believe in Voodoo

    The Main Ingredient

    More Powerful than You Know

    Leadership vs. Power

    The Buck Starts Here

    Sometimes You Have to Rip the Cover Off the Book

    You’ll Know When You’ve Arrived

    The First Million

    Instead of serving it cold... Don't serve it at all