'Don't Worry Be Happy'--Good Advice for these Stressful Times

March 13, 2003
By GREGORY J. RUMMO

A FRIEND ASKED me the other day if I was worried about my upcoming trip to China with my wife and two sons. We are leaving in a few days to bring home our adopted daughter, Wu Min Jian, from the city of Nanning in Guangxi province.

            “Not really,” I replied.

            “America’s at war again. The terror alert has been raised to orange and may be headed to red. We’re flying to Beijing in a week on an airline in chapter 11 that is in court this week hinting it may be forced to liquidate and suspend all of its operations unless it gets labor concessions. And in Guangdong Province, where we’ll travel when we exit China to obtain our daughter’s visa at the US Consulate, there’s been a mysterious virus that is causing pneumonia. There have been hundreds of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and a dozen or so deaths. What—me worry?”

            A wise man once said we shouldn’t worry about anything because most of the things we worry about never happen and the ones that do can’t be changed by our worrying about them.

            Yet, most of us continue to worry.

            For some, it is as natural as breathing, a part of human nature, a response to events over which we are helpless to control.

            For others like me, it was a part of my upbringing.

            My parents lived through the Great Depression and two world wars. By the time I was born in 1955, they had each earned a Ph.D. in the science of worry. Consequently, I was raised in a home where there was a calamity lurking around every corner. And as an only child, I often found myself at the epicenter of my parent’s continuous state of panic.

            An article in WebMD.com reports, “The idea of war worries 70% of American adults—even though 79% expect the U.S. will be successful, according to a new Gallup poll.”

            “Fear can easily take root amid ‘ill-defined, vague apprehensions,’ says Daniel Creson, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Remember everyone running around scared about white powder; about anthrax? The odds were slim you would be exposed—you were much more likely to get hit by a car.” Indeed, there are approximately 50,000 automobile fatalities in the US every year, yet millions of us drive in our cars every day.

            Worry is powerless to change circumstances but it can alter a person’s health and well-being by causing stress. While our bodies were created to accept certain levels of stress, when it becomes unremitting it can be very unhealthy. 

            Jerome F. Kiffer, MA, Department of Health Psychology and Applied Psychophysiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation explains, “Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress—a negative stress reaction. Distress can disturb the body's internal balance or equilibrium—leading to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.  

            But take heart—there are some positive steps you can take to help deal with the stresses of war and terror alerts.

            First realize that our cause is just. It helps to know we are right.

            What we are attempting is like surgery, painful in the short term, but with the prognosis for a safer world for everyone. That America is a good nation is obvious to all but the leftist phonies in Hollywood and the history-deficient protestors who hate us period—war or no war in Iraq. Pictures of our troops treating surrendering Iraqis with compassion, offering them water in some cases, are indicative of the kind of people we are. Come to think of it, I don’t remember the 9/11 terrorists dropping leaflets from airplanes, warning Americans of an impending attack on their cities.

            Secondly, even though the liberal media is trying to make it seem as though America stands alone you can take comfort in the fact that there are a total of 45 nations that admit to supporting us and others that wish to remain anonymous. That seems like a majority but even if it didn’t, so what? It was a minority of pre-Revolution Americans who were willing to sign the Declaration of Independence and say to the British in effect, “Come on, bring it!” Look at the greatness that resulted from those men who were willing to stand on conviction, not popular opinion.

            And lastly, you can pray. The Old Testament psalm writer declared, “I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.” It’s hard to worry when you’re talking to God.

            As inane as the yellow smiley face with the caption “Don’t worry—be happy,” may seem its message is profound during these stressful times. n

Gregory J. Rummo is a syndicated columnist. Read all of his columns on his homepage, www.GregRummo.com. E-Mail Rummo at  [email protected]