> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.gilespcroft.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Pointless worry - URL: https://www.gilespcroft.com/pointless-worry/ - Published: 2026-01-07T07:00:16.000Z - Updated: 2026-01-07T07:00:15.000Z - Description: Worry might have a purpose, but I bet it's not one of the ones you have in mind. 😬 - Author: Giles P Croft - Tags: Anxiety, Mental Health, Presence, Principles, Psychology, Stress, Thought realisation, IMPLICATIONS Here’s one for you: Is there ever a legitimate reason to worry? Does it serve *any* purpose, whatsoever? I can’t think of any, and I need your help. > *“To prepare, Giles, you idiot!”* I can hear you yelling, but I’m not talking about planning, I’m talking about worrying. You know, as in the dictionary definition: 📖 ****Worry** (v.): **To cause to be anxious* Planning or preparing is not the same as worrying. You can plan, or prepare without anxiety. (As an aside, did you know that the etymology of the word ‘worry’ is *‘to strangle, or bite the throat’*? Why do that to yourself?!) > *“It’s got to be protective though, hasn’t it? Otherwise we wouldn’t do it!”* Hmmm, I’m not so sure. Let’s a have a look, shall we? ## Example scenarios #### **Travel** Lots of potential for things going wrong means it’s only natural to worry, surely? - I don’t think so. Prepare. Book tickets. Take snacks. Plan for contingencies if necessary
 but worry? Pointless! - **Your best bet**: Stay present and open. When things go awry, you’re perfectly equipped to deal with problems, or ask for help. - **Try this**: We’ve dealt with this one, specifically, if it’s a source of worry for you đŸ‘‰đŸ» [There's nothing wrong with that](https://www.gilespcroft.com/theres-nothing-wrong-with-that/). #### Health Another classic. Got a ‘worrying’ symptom that you need to go and get investigated? It’s there in the definition, Giles – a symptom you should (đŸš©) worry about! - Again, is anything *gained* by worrying? Make the appointment, get the test, wait for the result, deal with the consequences
 but worry? Pointless! - **I get it**: The mind *will* go there. But you don’t have to đŸ‘‰đŸ» [jump on that train](https://www.gilespcroft.com/trains-of-thought/) of thought. #### Tests and interviews Big stakes, hard questions, difficult times, worry is natural, yes? - Just because the mind does it, doesn’t mean it’s helpful! Prepare? Definitely! Revise? Oh yes. Do your best? For sure. But worry
? Pointless. - **Again**: Your best bet is to stay present and open – you’ll be better able to put into action all that planning and revision you’ve done. - **Try this**: Another one we’ve already tackled đŸ‘‰đŸ» [The storm before the calm](https://www.gilespcroft.com/storm-before-the-calm/) ## A study showed
 The reason this has come to my attention is because [this research paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789419300826?ref=gilespcroft.com) has been doing the rounds again, on social media. It found that when properly tracked: - 91.4% of worries did not come true for those diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Prompting anxious people everywhere to cry, > *“OMFG!! I knew it!! 8.6% of my worries are going to come true!!”* đŸ˜± But have a look again at the examples we’ve explored, above. None of those have got *anything* to do with preventing things from happening. That’s not the issue. You could lose your luggage, get stranded overnight in an airport, even crash and be maimed; get told bad news at the hospital, have some deeply unpleasant investigations, be in pain, be diagnosed with terminal cancer; get laughed at, forget your own name in an interview, fail an exam
 and you know what? đŸ€·â€â™‚ïž ****You’d handle it.** Worry’s not going to prevent *anything* from happening—at all!—it’s just going to degrade your experience of life. ## Or maybe *improve* it? Hear me out for a moment. If it offers no practical advantage in terms of general safety (because [we already *are* safe](https://www.gilespcroft.com/your-zone-of-safety/)), then how about worry having a more straightforward purpose? What if
 the true function of worry is to point us back to the fact that the mind has become active, is ‘worrying unnecessarily’ and is taking us away from the very place we will experience the safety that it's looking for? In presence and openness. Maybe that’s the point to worry: to remind us not to worry. ÂŻ\\\_(ツ)\_/ÂŻ 💟 Giles ### Related [What are anxious feelings telling us?What if it’s not about \*what\* we’re thinking, but \*how\* we relate to thought? đŸ€”![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/icon/DR_Lockup-Black-3-254.png)The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1609689221636-3d6da9576ae3-1.jpeg)](https://www.gilespcroft.com/what-are-anxious-feelings-telling-us/)