Worry.

Otago Witness, Issue 2663, 29 March 1905, Page 78

Worry.

It is a melancholy fact that few people worry systematically. They are apt to concentrate their worry in spot*, and then, when the reaction sets in, they are positively gay. Each one of us has worry enough to last a, lifetime, if it is but properly distributed. We dress and eat and sleep more or less regularly, and we should certainly A\orry with the same consistency. Thero are some people, especially tho-c who are poor, who claim they ha\o no time fo worry, they are so much occupied. But this is only because they do not make time. Worry need not be the exclusive privilege of the rich. It is open to all who are willing io devote the care and attention to it that it cV~ervcs.

One of the be>t rimes to worvy is about 5 in the morning, -when the vitality is at its lowest. If it is hard to wake up at this hour, usj an alarm clock. Lie as rigid as possible, with your hands clasped, and your teeth set, and your eyes fixed. D<p not make the mistake, as some do, of facing your troubles, because oftentimes, when they are faced, they disappear, and thus -worry doe-n'fc g O t a fair show. Instead of this, brood on them vaguely.

In this way you will gradua'ly de^elop a kind of inward' terror, which is a great help to worry. Practice doing this every morning at dawn. At fir=t it may be hard, but by-and-bye the habit will become fixed, and then you will not have to chide yourself afterwards because you were not losing 30 much time worrying as you ought.

Another great help is to cultivate your imagination as much as possible. Remember that the immediate present, with its sense of security, will soon pa^, and that th© future with all kinds of trouble, is coining. Try to imagine some of the things that may happen, end by doing this systevratieally you will find that it is possible never to be whclly out of a goncl stock of worry, and by putting your faith in imaginary troubles you will never be at a los=. Do not worry too hastily ; for if you do you may recover too rapidly and !^=e your equilibrium. But go at it calmly, slowly, and persist3ntly. In a short time you will find that you are worrying almost without any effort. But even then do not allow yourself to be too much elated over your success. For if you do, th© very object that you have striven so hard to achieve will be defeated.

411ov yourself only a proper feeling of prida aaJ sense of true dignity: otherwise, your capacity for worry may be too much restricted by your satisfaction in your own development. — Tom Massox, in Life.