One by one, the physical diseases are surrendering. Polio, mumps, smallpox — children are living longer, adults are living healthier. The progress is truly stunning.
And yet, as we get healthier, we worry about it more, not less. We talk about it, we pay for it, we abstain, we change our diet, we talk about it some more, and we spend a fortune prolonging the last few years of our lives, creating nothing much more than pain and suffering.
What would happen if we worried about worrying instead?
Despite the huge steps forward we’ve taken on our physical health, our mental outlook may be no better than it was centuries ago.
Our mental well being, for many of us, is influenced by our self talk, by our goals, by the people we surround ourselves with. A perfectly healthy person can work himself into a corner merely by worrying about things that are out of his control.
Culture is the most powerful medicine and the most powerful poison we have. It enables, it amplifies, and it corrupts. To live in a culture of anxiety undermines our potential and prevents us from enjoying the astonishing benefits that our work has created.
I’m worried about all this worrying. Is there a pill for this?
Originally published at medium.com