What happened? What are you worried about?” I asked my friend who was looking very worried and tense. “There are 110 things to worry about. Everything

has me worried, small things, big things, everything! And worst of all, I cannot sleep at night,” was her reply. “Has anything bad happened?” I asked. “No, there aren’t any terrible problems in my life, but I worry anyways!” she said.

I contemplated for a while and only came to a realisation, worry has become a dominant part of our lives and a problem for millions but not that worry is bad but excessive worry is unnecessary and unproductive.

It diminishes our ability to enjoy time with our family, friends, or celebrate for our achievements as we live in fear of what might go wrong. This leads to a loss of perspective, when a person loses perspective he forgets that he is powerless over a lot of things, for example you are stuck in traffic jam and worried that you will be late for an important business meeting, you curse the cars around you and try to snake in and out of congested lanes, now this losing your perspective.

There is a way though of gaining back the lost perspective. Simply by explaining a worry to another person, you can begin to regain it.

And even better finding a sympathetic ear that listens to your worries, as worry can become a serious problem if not paid proper attention.

So here are some tips to minimise our worry:

Exercise: It is probably the best natural antiworry agent.

It reduces tension, drains excess aggression and frustration, enhances a sense of well being, improves sleep, and aids concentration.

Make connections: Be a part of something larger than yourself. Connect with family, friends, organisations, your neighbourhood and work. This can really increase our feeling of strength and reduce our sense of vulnerability.

Do something you like: It is almost impossible to worry destructively if we are engaged in something you enjoy.

Let music in: Listening to music can really decrease our tensions.

Have a good cry: Sometimes worry is a form of pent-up sadness. Sometimes what we really need and want to do is let it go in a torrent of tears. A good cry can wash away bad worry.

Laugh: Humour is the best way of dealing with worry.

Finally, let’s not sweat over the small stuff. After all , from the widest perspective, it’s all small stuff.

— Sujeena Shakya, SLC, Little Angels’ School