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Channel your nervous energy
There is one particular patient whom I see almost on a daily basis, and who wears an expression on her face that marks her out from anyone else I know. It reminds me of a rabbit caught in headlights, with the same look of worry and bemusement, and perfectly reflects her personality. Gemma worries about anything and everything, and on the rare occasions she has nothing to worry about, feels anxious because she is not worrying. This is how she is made, and there is little I can do to change this. However, over the years I have made some progress in getting her to use this nervous energy to her advantage. We have gone through many difficult times in doing this, but at least she can now lead a perfectly normal life, worrying at the same level as the rest of us. She has learned important points to help her:
Worry need not be a bad thing - it sometimes highlights a .problem that needs sorting out. Remember to listen to your 'gut instinct' if you are worried about a plan or project you are involved in, but cannot quite put your finger on why you are anxious. If you have an inner anxiety about something, use an analysis list to separate real problems from imagined ones, and act on it.
Channelling energy that would otherwise have been wasted into other activities can be highly effective. Once a day Gemma now goes for a two- to three-mile jog at precisely the same time. This not only burns off much of her nervous energy, but allows her to think problems through while she is running. The fact that she knows she will be doing this also means she copes better with stress earlier in the day, thinking she will have the opportunity to deal with her

.Personal Development
anxieties during or after her exercise. The added benefit is that she is now far fitter than ever, which also helps her to deal with her stress much more efficiently than she did before.
Gemma now accepts her worry for what it is - part of her. She used to worry she was never able to achieve perfect peace and serenity in her life, but I pointed out that I have yet to meet the person who has. Even the Dalai Lama has his bad days. Worrying is normal, worrying to excess is stressful.
A few days after I wrote this tip, Gemma came to see me, and so I took the opportunity to discuss with her what I had written. She then said, 'You've missed out the real reason not to worry.' When I asked her what this was she smiled and said, 'It's really easy. I know there are only two things to worry about - either you are well or you are sick. If well, there are no worries. If sick, you will either die or get better. If you get better, great. If you die, you only need to worry about whether you go to Heaven or Hell. Going to Heaven means there is nothing to worry about. If you go to Hell, however, you'll be so busy meeting old friends you won't have time to worry!' She has a point . . .
Channel the energy spent worrying into exercise or hobbies. Remember that worrying can be useful if it highlights a problem that needs sorting out.

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