"Don't Worry, Be Happy!" And Other Such Nonsense
By Laura Hull, LMFT
Back in the late 1980s, Bobby McFerrin had a smash hit song
proclaiming the notion that when life throws everything including the kitchen
sink at us, we should adopt the mindset of “don’t worry, be happy”. Uh-huh.
This catchy little ditty puts a smile on the face, taking me in my mind
to my worry-free, happy place (the one that exists only in my mind) where I am sitting on a beach, whistling along
with Bobby under an umbrella with a fruity beverage. Lost in that momentary thought, I am brought
crashing back to reality with the sounds of real life. My hubby and I have six kids to support…to
put through college, to fit with braces, health issues to address, careers to
pursue, and the list goes on and on.
With life comes worry. Sorry Mr.
McFerrin, your notion of “don’t worry, be happy” is a lovely one, but much
easier said than done.
Everyone who lives long enough experiences worry and
fear. Life is full of uncertainty and
worry and/or fear is born from this. Ask
the newly diagnosed cancer patient if he/she can adopt a stance of “don’t
worry” in the face of such news. Ask the
newly unemployed father of three how worry-free he is when he doesn’t know how
he’s going to feed his family. Worry and
fear is as much a part of the human experience as breathing. In the absence of life-threatening or
life-altering situations, worry and fear come and go throughout life, shaping
the experiences and moving our lives in directions that can alter our paths
permanently. The fear of not being able
to provide financially for the family may motivate someone to return to school
to pursue an education. Fear of dying
young and leaving behind children may motivate an obese individual to take
control of life and address health issues that could jeopardize the well-being
of those dependent on him/her. What do
we tell the person who is consumed with worry and fear that his/her marriage is
failing? Who suspects that the spouse is
being unfaithful and the foundation of the marriage is beginning to crack? Do we tell him that his worry and fear won’t
help the situation? Hopefully you can
see where I am going with this.
Some people struggle with worry and fear that is
non-specific. It is just a general sense
of unrest and anxiety about life in general.
Small things can trigger big responses that are out of proportion to the
situation they are dealing with. Some
people have been conditioned this way due to repeated life experiences. Some people are susceptible to worry and fear
(anxiety) due to genetics. Some people
are born with better coping skills than others.
Learning how to cope with the circumstances of our lives is important in
order to be able to manage worry and fear. This allows room for happiness in
our lives.
So what do we do to address worry and fear? Consider Mr. McFerrin’s profound lyrics (said
with a wink!):
In every life we have some
trouble
When you worry you make it
double
Don't worry, be happy......
Ain't got no place to lay
your head
Somebody came and took your
bed
Don't worry, be happy
The landlord say your rent is
late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy
1.
Acknowledge that worry is normal. The
fact that we worry at times does not mean we are “weak” or that we “can’t
handle things”. It means we are
human. Jesus, who knew salvation’s plan,
who had all the power to change everything, had fear and worry in the Garden of Gethsemane . He sweated, He needed comforting, He sought
out his friends, He was burdened by the fear of what was coming. An Angel came to comfort Him…He did not want
to face it alone. What does this tell us
when the Son of God wrestled with his worry and fear? It means we should realize that God knows our
hearts and our struggles. Jesus felt it
profoundly. In His moment of fear, Jesus
sought his beloved friends for comfort (and felt sorrow when He found them
asleep and unavailable to Him in His time of need). Ultimately, he took His
fears to God in prayer. This is our
perfect model. The support of dear
friends and the power of prayer should be our “go-to” in times of worry and
fear.
2.
Assess the situation. Some things in life we can change. Other things we cannot. Take an honest look at the situation being
faced. Will fear or worry do anything to
change the outcome? If the answer is
yes, then address it now. For
example, if you are afraid that because you are 100 lbs overweight that you
will have a heart attack and die, then let your fear and worry motivate you to
make a change, starting right now.
However, if the answer is no, then take a step back and take care of
yourself so that you can work through the feelings and move on. We cannot stop ourselves from experiencing
worry, but we can choose not to dwell on what we cannot change. The Bible challenges us in Matthew 6:27 to
consider “can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” If worry and fear are dominating our
thoughts….if it’s a problem that is dictating major portions of our lives, we
must be proactive in addressing it. We
can lose years of our lives being unhappy and unable to experience real joy
because our thoughts are consumed with worry. Counseling is a wonderful way of addressing
this issue. Sometimes talking through our worries with someone not directly
tied to the situation itself can help our perspectives and allow us to obtain
the coping skills necessary to address the situations we are facing and to get
a handle on our negative emotions.
Sometimes medical intervention may be necessary to aid this
process. This is not something to be
ashamed of. If you have high blood
pressure, you take medicine for it. Sometimes people require medications to
address emotional issues. This is not
weakness, this is chemical.
3.
Do worry, be happy! Give
yourself a break. We cannot eliminate
worry and fear from our lives completely.
Address the issues you can, acknowledge there are things you can’t
control, and be wise enough to recognize the difference. You can still be happy even when there is
worry and fear in life. In some
respects, it is a choice. Maybe God has
not given you the “perfect” set of circumstances in life (as if there is such a
thing), but He has given you today….and what you choose to do with it is your
choice. Choose wisely. There is something to be learned
everyday. Don’t miss the lessons by continuing
to focus on worry and fear. It’s OK to give in to worry and fear at times (we
all do it) but don’t give it the whole day, everyday. Life is too short.