#67: Work is the Opposite of Worry
Happy Friday!
One of my favourite aphorisms is "Happiness is the very opposite of selfishness", attributed to Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of Buckingham University and obsessive historian of Tony Blair. [Read an elucidation of his aphorism on the BBC]
This aphorism is a great tonic for when I find myself footling around in my brain for that elusive drug, happiness. It gently nudges me back onto the path, calibrates my compass, gets me out of my head and connects me with others.
But there are times when it doesn't work. Sometimes - mostimes, even - my worries worry themselves ragged over other people, their opinion of me, and my relationship with them. Selflessness, directed as it is at these other people, can actually precipitate the spiral of rumination. What then?
Well, I've come up with my own aphorism, following the same model as Anthony's: Work is the very opposite of worry.
Unlike Anthony's, this might need a little claification. I don't mean Work as in your day job: that might be a very prominent source of worry. I mean work as a verb: doing the do.
I could rephrase it as Doing is the very opposite of worrying - but that isn't as concise and aphorisms adore concision.
When you do work, you are in the moment: fully focused (I hope) on the practicalities of whatever it is that you are doing. There is no space in your mind for worry, for worry is almost always hypothetical: worry about what might happen in the future, or worry about what might have happened in the past.
Mindfulness implores you to ease your worries by focusing on the minute shade of light cast across the room, or the call of crows outside your window, or the mild scent of daffodils on the roadside. These techniques can be a quick way to flip your mind out of the worry-state, but none have the sustaining power of work.
I should add caveats to this aphorism as a life philosophy, particularly: don't become obsessed with work and use it as an avoidance strategy; sometimes worry is an important life skill. But the tool for now is useful and appealingly practical.
In the course of my DuckDuckGoing to find out whether or not this was a truly original aphorism, I found the following Psychology Today review of a book on parenting called The Opposite of Worry. The author, Lawrence J Cohen, decides that hugs, soothing self-talk and befriending your emotions are the opposite of worry. But that can't be summed up in a snappy aphorism so is probably false.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
This newsletter goes out to 118 beautiful people every week.
If you'd rather not receive it - and that's cool, I unsubscribe from cleverer, funnier mailing lists all the time - let me know or simply hit the self-destruct button below.
That awkward moment when A.I. mistakes you for a teenage girl. (And who knew that Graz was where creepy pedestrian tracking software began?)
>> INPUT
NEW FEATURE All of the links below will take you to a blog where I elevate and distil everything I've found (mostly) online that enthuses me. Here are five.
[Psychology] Contact lenses ‘boost sexual success’
[Positive News] Productivity in Terrible Times – Eileen Webb
[Enthusiasm] Make 2018 The Year Of Maximum Enthusiasm – Brendan Leonard
[Space Hacking] Awesome Alert: 50 Swings Installed Around S.F.
[Friendship] The Advantages of Being ‘just Good Friends’
OUTPUT >>
As you may have noticed, this mailing list is the engine room of my writing. Here's some you might have missed:
Options for Dealing with Squatting: A Mockumentary Radio Play (February)
Foiled Series 2: A Sitcom Writer’s Diary (February)
No No Aeroplanes: 98 Months and Out (February)
Carpe Diem: Dancing with Death (February)
No Phone (Before Noon) (February)
...COMING UP...
So much work on Foiled. Fun!
Helping a friend with his treatment for a movie. Fun!
Drinks with Curtis Brown agents, rescheduled due to snow. Wine!
Early bird tickets for Jokes and Spokes, the annual Bike Project fundraiser are still on sale. With Sara Pascoe, Rachel Parris, Andy Zaltzman, Robin Ince and Phil Wang. June 12th in London. Funny guaranteed.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?
If you enjoy reading these weekly newsletters, then you probably know someone else who would too.
I made a button for that as well.
As always, I've spent far too much time on this newsletter. I hope you found something that floats your flotilla and I'll see you at the sauna.
Much love,
- dc
p.s. You know there's always a pretty picture if you scroll to very, very end, don't you?
CREDITS
David Charles wrote this. When not writing this, David writes BBC Radio sitcom Foiled, does copywriting for The Bike Project and the Elevate Festival, and volunteers for refugee youth club Young Roots. He is always available for work.
davidcharles.info // @dcisbusy
Designer Michelle Rial does lols with real world objects.
Via Kottke.org.