In my opinion, the right amount of worry is determined by a cost-benefit offset (whether the worry is made worth it by a probable outcome) in regards to a desired result. Because in the objective sense, worry is useless; we’ll all pass away, meaning the only relevant question is: “How do I maximize fulfillment in the time I have left?”
Dirty Sci-Fi Buddha 
Reblogged this on Explorations of Inventories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sweet! Explorer of Inventories! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
*Thanks, Explorer of Inventories, is what I meant to say. 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like your work, DSFB!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Have deployed a blog of aphorisms: streamsofdestiny.WordPress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just thinking about this today: my anxiety is like walking on a tightrope, where on one side it’s so generalized that it freezes me into existential inaction, and on the other it’s non-existent and I am content to sit and eat cookies/binge-drink/binge-watch… Be completely unproductive.
The narrow happy medium is anxiety about a specific actionable thing, which somehow generates motivation. It’s a stressful way to live, but better than being unmotivated all the time, I guess.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think psychologically, what you’re saying is sound, as from my limited understanding of psychology, regret comes more from opportunities missed than opportunities taken in error, and the most fulfilling thing is a healthy dose of continual adversity which we work to conquer, so we can move on to another challenge and keep growing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Quite a bit there, DSFB! Lost opportunities remind me of the work on Loss Aversion by Kahneman and Tverskey along with the nearly forgotten (but extremely important!) 19th Century economist Frederic Bastiat. Moving from inferiority to superiority, repeatedly and in denial of death, reminds me of Freud’s student (and a giant in his own right), Alfred Adler.
Adler: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferiority_complex
Bastiat: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frédéric_Bastiat
Kahneman: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_aversion
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are describing Yerkes-Dodson, first discovered in 1908: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerkes–Dodson_law
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nice! I’ve heard in martial arts that the optimum heartbeat is in the aerobic range—around 100-140 I believe—and that too far to either direction detracts from performance. Dunno if that relates…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me, either. Don’t know if any research has been done on that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So very true, good sir. But it’s so difficult to cast away worry. The rationalization engine has to have much horsepower, me thinks. It worries me that I might not be able to stop worrying?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ha! Well put. But the ultimate rationalization, I would argue, is that all worry and rationalization will be rendered moot by our temporary nature, so through trial, error, and examination of past instances, we should try for a rough deduction of what amount of worry will be productive, and aim for that. (the tricky thing is that I imagine it would be a constantly moving standard.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Reminds me somewhat of this famous Talmudic quote:
Rabbi Eliezer said: “Repent one day before your death.” So his disciples asked him: “Does a person know which day he will die?” Rabbi Eliezer responded: “Certainly, then, a person should repent today, for perhaps tomorrow he will die—so that all his days he is repenting.” (Talmud, Shabbat 153a)
LikeLiked by 3 people
Maybe it isn’t repentance, but when I finally just admitted and forgave myself for my top 5 “darkest secrets,” my creativity kicked in. My theory is that they were taking up “processing power.” Just to be sure, I made my friend sit there and listen while I told him what they were. I suspect you don’t need to confess, necessarily, because I felt nothing and derived no benefit from confessing (I just had to make sure); I only felt something and got benefit from it when I originally admitted them to myself. Those secrets will die just like me, so why keep them alive all the way up until my death? Long story short, I agree with the Rabbi.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I read somewhere long ago, or I heard it, and it kind of makes sense. There was a study about patients going into surgery. Some worried a lot, some didn’t, and some did for an average of twenty minutes. It showed afterwards, that those who didn’t worry were caught off guard and unprepared. Those who worried a lot were tired and stressed from the get-go. The third group was somewhat prepared and ready to face the challenge, while not exhausting themselves in the process. So, in some situations, worry could be useful in reducing the recovery time, thus freeing one sooner to enjoy life.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Indeed. The placebo effect is often phrased as “just the placebo effect,” but the word “just” diminishes its power. Not saying that it trumps a fear-based approach, but it’s all about experimenting and finding out what the most effective mix of qualities is for each situation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, and I agree with you. If one was to imagine the snakes and ladders of the game, to imagine the pitfalls and gains of life, I would prefer anticipation to worry, and be eager and less afraid.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agree! Placebo has been deeply underestimated in its power. Sometimes the entire result, including healing, comes from expectancy. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subject-expectancy_effect
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep. Apparently, there are some courses that teach paramedics to watch their words in front of unconscious people. They can statistically influence blood loss or probability of survival, in some cases.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And then there is this: http://time.com/4419059/paramedics-selfie-unconscious-patients/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m constantly trying to straddle the line of “getting things done” vs “hurrying through them to get them done.” As I have gotten older, I realize time has become more valuable. It don’t throw it away as I used to, but also you need to relax and really feel life as it flows at times. Easier said than done because it’s sort of a remaining calm inside when chaos is all around you. Picking what thoughts and feelings dominate you is an interesting phenomenon. Thanks for the reminder.
LikeLiked by 4 people
No problem! Indeed, what you’re describing is the essence of strategy, and might also be called the art of life.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Life is definitely about strategy. The art of life it sure is.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Could be the life of art, too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You should do a musing-a-day calender. You know, start your day with a few minutes of thinking about the bigger picture to ground you and not be so worried about the little things…
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m putting together a book right now. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. A DFSB day planner available on KDP is overdue!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! I’ll add it to my long list of upcoming projects. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
In my experience I’ve learnt that worrying means you suffer twice
LikeLiked by 3 people
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt 6:34 Good advice if we can take it. Of the triumvirate of worry, effective action and acceptance of the inevitable, worry is the one to avoid if we can.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Logic is definitely invaluable here; if you can make a sound, watertight case as to why you did everything you can do with what you have, then the next logical conclusion would be to not worry, because it can only be detrimental. There is literally nothing left to worry about.
LikeLiked by 1 person