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Worry is like a rocking chair: This is a beautiful quote about the importance of worry in our life. Worry constantly revolves around the question – what if things go wrong. It asks us to prepare and even when we do – it shows us how things can go wrong. Fear and worry combined together make life a living hell. In this article, we will discuss the meaning of this quote – worry is like a rocking chair. The symbolism is beautiful because neither worry nor a rocking chair will take us anywhere. It brings us back to where we started!

Worry is a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere

-Vance Havner”

This debate focuses on the meaning of this quote – worry is a rocking chair, it will give you something to do!

Worry is like a rocking chair Meaning

Worry is quite an unavoidable enemy. It is strongly linked to fear, uncertainty and a situation where the outcome can be unfavourable. We know that this corresponds to our everyday life. If we give too much heed to worry, we will be doing that daily. There must be a better way to deal with worry.

Fear at least has a purpose – it is a clear warning that something may go wrong and asks you to do something about it. Notice that the only time fear goes away is when you do something about it. The same thing is true about worry too. Worry tends to be the rocking chair. But it doesn’t give you any results. Instead, it can easily scare you. The meaning of worry is like a rocking chair can be explained in these 5 points:

• Worrying is a futile, repetitive motion – it brings us back to the same place where we started
• It creates an illusion of progress, but doesn’t provide anything meaningful or real
• Worry gets you stuck – in a helpless and victim state which makes you feel useless
• We must take constructive action to move ahead and create better things to worry about
• It is pointless in the end – instead of worrying what can go wrong, we must think about how to get it right

Why is worry a rocking chair?

Because it doesn’t get you anywhere. Worry keeps you in the same place but has the capability to weaken you. The only way to deal with worry is by acting on it. Instead of wasting your time, focus on what you can do about the worry. It will get you a longer way than just fearing it. And the more we think about it, the more we are drawn into the worry quicksand. The more you wiggle your feet, the deeper you get sunk. So is it with worry, the more you struggle in it, the deeper you get pulled?

How to deal with worry?

There are some simple steps that can help you to deal with worry. Knowing that it can cause you a few problems, the most common steps are fairly obvious. It is all to do with your mindset and getting away from the victim mindset.

Let the thoughts settle down a bit: Most times worry is fuelled by fear. If that’s the case, understand the meaning of fear. Identify what you can do to mitigate it. Also, write down what the worry is telling you. Once you write it down, it will stop surfacing because it has got an outlet and the emotion feels like it’s been heard.

Analyse the worry: It is all about data! Analyse what the worry is telling you. The same situation will have occurred with someone else. Our mind has a way of connecting only the worst outcomes. What is the % of the worst outcome vs normal outcome? How likely is it that you’ll face a bad situation?

Gather feedback: This is very important. Don’t just talk to people about worry. You might get their sympathy. But sympathy is not the solution. It distracts you from the goal. Instead, think about the solution. Ask people what you can do about it.

Simplify the problem: Most times, worry complicates the situation. Try to simplify. Just look at the facts and present it without any emotion. Try to take on the persona of making a business presentation. This helps reduce the impact of negative occurrences. Also, it helps you think about the situation in a wider view than as an isolated issue.

Constructive action: The surest way to solve is to make a start. Start and get to work in any small direction you can. You get to be more occupied this way and even the slightest actions go a long way in developing your confidence to solve the bigger monster of a challenge.

So, although the worry is not real, it can have one stymied in their tracks. The trick is to get moving and you will hit the solution. Not that each one of these will give us a 100% solution, but they sure can make a difference in our approach and help smoothen our lives a bit.