This is the final part in the Give Your Worries a Can of Whoop-Ass series. If you haven’t read Part Three, click here.
Deciding not to worry, period
Often, just deciding you’re not going to worry about something anymore will do the trick. This especially works with little, annoying things that aren’t threatening. It doesn’t completely keep the worry from popping up every now and then, but it does allow you to take back control over your life. If you decide you’re just going to sign out, a lot of trivial worries have a way of disappearing or fixing themselves.
Side note: I know women HATE using this tactic (and get mad because men do this a lot), but I’m slowly learning the value of it. Embrace it, ladies, because sometimes… IT WORKS! You don’t have to be in control of everything or have an answer for everything. You are not a superhero and not everything needs to be fixed or improved. TRUST ME. Some stuff is petty, even if you don’t realize it at the time, and needs to be dropped. The end.
Is it really that big of a deal?
An example: In high school and undergrad, I used to be surrounded by paranoid students who would literally worry to death about every single exam, even after the exam was said and done! I guess that’s what I get for surrounding myself with a bunch of Type A personalities. Worrying is contagious. At the time I wanted to go to professional school and I would worry that this one exam would completely bomb my GPA and screw my chances of getting in anywhere.
One day, right after a big exam, as usual I was sitting with some students who were going over every question and answer (that they could remember) and panicking if they thought they got something wrong. Suddenly, something clicked in my brain and I thought to myself: “This is stupid. There’s no point in worrying about it. I studied for the exam and did my best at the time. So what if I potentially get a few questions wrong? It’s not the end of the world. I’m just not going to worry about it anymore until I see my grade. And I’m just going to eat chocolate and watch Star Trek chill until then.”
Observe the magic of not giving a damn
After that, I was basically logged off from the conversation and I just didn’t care anymore. By the time I got my grade back, I was calm enough to decide the next course of action. If I did well, great, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. If I did bad, okay, what can I do to get better next time? Or what is the worst that could happen? Can I make up for it in another way? Do I even care? Does it matter? See, it just became a non-issue at that point.
Maybe this attitude explains why I am NOT an A student… but I couldn’t care less. Grades are arbitrary, it doesn’t demonstrate whether I learned the material or not. I won’t remember 75% of what I learned in six months anyway (don’t get me started on the inadequacies of the education system, though). As long as I don’t waste my time or money retaking a class, I’m fine with it!
Despite it all, I still managed to graduate, get a job out of college, my parents did not kill me, and I’m still able to do most things I want (most of the time) and enjoy my life. Problem solved.
I can’t believe I used to cry over a couple of C’s… I can’t even remember what classes I got them in! Wasted all that water, almost gave myself a damn heart attack, over nothing. At the very least it’s good for a laugh, so maybe it’s not ALL a waste.
That’s a wrap!
And thus ends the Give Your Worries a Can of Whoop-Ass series, my beauties.
Just remember everyone has problems and worries. And that it causes people to act in questionable ways. Even the person who you think has it all will always have something in their lives that they wish they could change.
What’s the point in constantly worrying about things that don’t matter or things you can’t control… there’s plenty more where that comes from if you allow them to control you! Instead, be aware, find ways to limit your worries and you’ll find yourself feeling more relaxed and prepared for whatever life throws at you.
I’ve taken the saying ‘All the world’s a stage,’ and changed it to ‘All life’s a stage’ instead. In other words, most things in life just aren’t that serious. It’s a game that you play to test your patience and your understanding. Until you learn, life will keep throwing the same obstacles at you until it clicks in your head how to overcome it. Fortunately, unlike most games, you won’t die if you don’t pass most obstacle courses.
See more tips on giving your worries a can of whoop-ass!
- Part 1: Laughing
- Part 2: Analyzing the worst possible outcome
- Part 3: Just doing it
- Part 4: Deciding not to worry
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Related posts:
- Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 2: What’s the worst that could happen?
- Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 1: Laughing
- Give your worries a can of whoop-ass, Part 3: Just do it!
- The (slightly) evil person’s guide to being annoyingly laid-back (and reducing stress while you’re at it)
- Get rid of dead weight: Channel frustration into creative ideas into action
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
lol you and your star trek
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The way I approach exams was, what I learned i will remember, I payed attention in class, didn’t do homework and some assignments (lol)
never failed a class, but I could of done better if I wanted to be a tool without a brain, thinking people can’t just memorize useless crap because they think about it, analyze things and what not.
And I chose not to care and didn’t bother with education, the reality is many people with school have debts, stress, boring life and had ot sacrifice so much so that they can spend the next years of their life paying down debts?
If I had the money for an education it might be a worthwhile investment but getting a loan for 20k so you might get a 20k/year job is kind of silly.
Be who worry are unable to analyze the situation they are in, the way they feel is dependent on the results of a situation to be happy.
Mac´s last blog ..Unheard Advice…
You know, I sort of had this kind of revelation in my dreams. One recurring dream that I had was that I would be late for an exam. I would go to the classroom and realized it’s empty. It was over and everyone has already left, but I feel like I don’t really care. And that felt good.
Now, I wouldn’t really miss an exam on purpose and feel good about it. After all, I would need to think about whether I can (or should drop) the class, but the dream tells me how good it feels to not fuss over it, and how it’s not the end of the world if that actually happened.
Kelvin Kao´s last blog ..The End of an Era
@ Mac: Me and my Star Trek, indeed! I do agree that maybe we should start thinking about education like it’s an investment instead of doing it ‘just because’ it’s the next natural step. If I had done that, I probably would have made different choices (as far as financing college and which college I went to, etc). However, college does have its advantages, but most of it goes beyond the classroom, and can’t really be quantified.
@ Kelvin: Welcome! That’s actually a scary dream — a nightmare, really. I’d never purposely miss an exam either, particularly because I do NOT like retaking or redoing things. But yea, if you were to actually miss an exam, it probably wouldn’t mean anything in the long run.