I am a card carrying worrier. In fact, I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t a worrier. I’ve always thought that this was probably a negative trait versus positive trait. But then I read an article over the weekend that claims that worrying may actually be beneficial. According to Kate Sweeny, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, worrying can have positive emotional effects and can prove to be motivational.
I have found this to be true. I think I’m a “good” worrier. I tend to worry, make plans on how to address the issue, and come out better because of it. I don’t worry without acting on it. I think that is the key to being a successful worrier. Worrying about things you cannot control is what causes stress and anxiety. You can’t change the past, so it’s important as a worrier to always be looking forward. I grew up with a dad that was a worrier, I’m a worrier, and my daughter is a worrier. She’ll sometimes call me after an important med school exam and be stressing out worrying that she failed her exam. I always explain to her that you can’t change what already happened, so even if you did fail (which she never does), you would just need to look forward and plan on how you’ll do better on the next exam.
As the CEO of ASE, I still worry before each board meeting. Even though I’ve been through over 56 of them during my 14-year tenure as CEO, I still worry every time. But this worrying is what has caused me to always be prepared. I always to try to plan for any questions they might ask. I think it is important for those in leadership positions to always be thinking of the “what ifs” and be prepared.
According to the article, Sweeny lists three ways in which worrying can be motivating:
· “If you’re worried, it may be a cue that a situation is serious and lead you to take action.” For example, if you are concerned that you might not make an important deadline on a work project, you’ll likely take actions that will ensure that you finish the project on time. You’ll be less likely to procrastinate.
· “Worrying about a stressor keeps the stressor consistently on your mind, leading to frequent cues to action. For example, if someone constantly worries about dying in a car crash, they will most likely always remember to put a seatbelt on.”
· “Being a worry wart can cue efforts to manage the unpleasant feelings that come along with the emotional state. For example, frequent worry about doing well in a job interview may lead you to spend more time preparing and applying to other open positions, which will in turn lessen your worry about whether the interview will be successful.”
These three examples clearly show how worrying can cause a person to take action in order to prevent what they are worrying about or to create a game-plan on how to address the issue should the concern come to fruition.
Worrying can clearly have positive effects on your well-being if handled correctly; however, excess levels of worry without any plan of action can do the opposite. I think it’s important to maintain a healthy level of worry and always be forward thinking. I personally feel much better about the worrying I do after reading about this latest research. Although I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be a laid back person, I value the fact that I am always prepared for various scenarios. My mind never turns off.
How about you? Do you worry? Let me know how worry has affected you and how you handle it. Email me at [email protected]. As always, I enjoy receiving your feedback. I received overwhelming feedback after my last blog about hugging at work. Some of you were all for it and many felt that the workplace doesn’t make for an appropriate setting for hugging. Several business colleagues I ran into over that week said they were surprised to hear my take on hugging. I just want to clarify that my stance was strictly relating to the office environment. Outside of work I’m a very different person and much more demonstrative. I like hearing different perspectives. Thanks for sharing.