Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1912 — AVOIDANCE OF WORRY [ARTICLE]

AVOIDANCE OF WORRY

Remedy Worth Considering Is “Do Something Else.” .; -....- - - Change of Occupation, However Slight, Will Have a Most Beneficial Effect on the Mind. Worry has become almost universal, and for this reason the commonplace, exasperating advice to “Don’t worry” is frequently heard in the belief that the remedy lies therein, writes a Detroit physician. Those who are slaves to poisonous habit appreciate the worthlessness of this advice. It is another case of putting the cart before the horse —the result is prescribed instead of the remedy. The man who makes a direct mental effort to quit worrying is almost certain to be disappointed, because the more he thinks about himself and his shortcomings in this respect the more he is going to worry. The remedy does not lie in changing the current of the same lines of thought, but in producing a new channel for a stronger current of entirely different thought The advice, therefore, should not be the tiresome, “Don’t worry,” but the progressive “Do something else.” For instance, get a box of tools and learn to tinker; keep a few chickens or pheasants in the back yard; cultivate an interest in gardening or ornithology, etc. If it appears, as It may in some cases, that social diversion alone Is indicated, then join a progressive fraternal organization ants mix freely and charitably with other men, or endeavor to Inculcate * religious, church-going tendency. In this connection there is perhaps no greater sedative on earth, to the tired, worried man, even though he may be a blasphemer or unbeliever, than the peaceful psychological atmosphere surrounding a church service. In a very short space of time the wholesome outdoor pastime, coupled with other diversions, will have Induced a keener appetite, better digestion and pounder sleep and the result is bound to be more energy, a higher resistance to disease and above all a greater degree of .self-confidence, which is the most effective remedy for the man who worries. w