Why Worry?

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2010

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George Lincoln Walton

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165

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English

Documents

2010

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Publié par

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Why Worry?, by George Lincoln Walton, M.D.Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloadingor redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do notchange or edit the header without written permission.Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of thisfile. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can alsofind out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts****eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971*******These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****Title: Why Worry?Author: George Lincoln Walton, M.D.Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8554] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first postedon July 22, 2003]Edition: 10Language: English*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHY WORRY? ***Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.WHY WORRY?BYGEORGE LINCOLN WALTON, M.D.CONSULTING NEUROLOGIST TO THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITALThe legs of the stork are long, the legs of the duck are ...

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Publié par

chuen

Publié le

08 décembre 2010

Langue

English

Author: George Lincoln Walton, M.D.Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8554] [Yes, weare more than one year ahead of schedule] [Thisfile was first posted on July 22, 2003]Edition: 10Language: English*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG*EBOOK WHY WORRY? **Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon,Charles Franks and the Online DistributedProofreading Team.

WHY WORRY?BYGEORGE LINCOLN WALTON, M.D.CONSULTING NEUROLOGIST TO THEMASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITALThe legs of the stork are long, the legs of the duckare short; you cannot make the legs of the storkshort, neither can you make the legs of the ducklong. Why worry?—Chwang Tsze.TO MY LONG-SUFFERING FAMILY AND CIRCLEOF FRIENDS, WHOSE PATIENCE HAS BEENTRIED BY MY EFFORTS TO ELIMINATEWORRY, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELYDEDICATED.PREFACE.No apology is needed for adding another to thetreatises on a subject whose importance isevidenced by the number already offered thepublic.The habit of worry is not to be overcome byunaided resolution. It is hoped that the victim of

this unfortunate tendency may find, among thehomely illustrations and commonplace suggestionshere offered, something to turn his mind into morehealthy channels. It is not the aim of the writer totransform the busy man into a philosopher of theindolent and contemplative type, but rather toenable him to do his work more effectively byeliminating undue solicitude. This elimination isconsistent even with the "strenuous life."One writer has distinguished between normal andabnormal worry, and directed his efforts againstthe latter. Webster's definition of worry (A state ofundue solicitude) obviates the necessity of decidingwhat degree and kind of worry is abnormal, anddirects attention rather to deciding what degree ofsolicitude may be fairly adjudged undue.In the treatment of a subject of this character acertain amount of repetition is unavoidable. But it ishoped that the reiteration of fundamental principlesand of practical hints will aid in the application ofthe latter. The aim is the gradual establishment ofa frame of mind. The reader who looks for theannihilation of individual worries, or who hopes toinfluence another by the direct application of thesuggestions, may prepare, in the first instance fordisappointment, in the second, for trouble.The thanks of the writer are due to Miss AmyMorris Homans, Director of the Boston NormalSchool of Gymnastics, for requesting him to maketo her students the address which forms thenucleus of these pages.

GEORGE L. WALTON.BOSTON, April, 1908.CONTENTSI. INTRODUCTORY II.EPICURUS AS AMENTAL HEALER III.THE PSYCHO-

THERAPY OF MARCUSAURELIUS IV.ANALYSIS OF WORRYV. WORRY ANDOBSESSION VI. THEDOUBTING FOLLY VII.HYPOCHONDRIA VIII.NEURASTHENIA IX.SLEEPLESSNESS X.OCCUPATIONNEUROSIS XI. THEWORRIER AT HOMEXII. THE WORRIER ONHIS TRAVELS XIII. THEWORRIER AT THETABLE XIV. THE FEAROF BECOMING INSANE

XV. RECAPITULATORYXVI. MAXIMSMISAPPLIED XVII. THEFAD XVIII. HOMETREATMENT XIX.HOME TREATMENTCONTINUEDDEFINITIONS.WORRY. A state of undue solicitude.HYPOCHONDRIA. A morbid mental condition

characterized by undue solicitude regarding thehealth, and undue attention to matters theretopertaining.OBSESSION. An unduly insistent and compulsivethought, habit of mind, or tendency to action.DOUBTING FOLLY (Folie du doute.) A state ofmind characterized by a tendency unduly toquestion, argue and speculate upon ordinarymatters.NEURASTHENIA. A form of nervous disturbancecharacterized by exhaustion and irritability.PHOBIA. An insistent and engrossing fear withoutadequate cause, as judged by ordinary standards.OCCUPATION NEUROSIS. A nervous disorder inwhich pain, sometimes with weakness and cramp,results from continued use of a part.PSYCHO-THERAPY. Treatment through the mind.No other technical terms are used.

I.INTRODUCTORYWhen Thales was asked what was difficult he said,"To know oneself"; and what was easy, "To adviseanother."Marcus Aurelius counselled, "Let another pray, 'Save Thou my child,' but do thou pray,'Let me notfear to lose him.'"Few of us are likely to attain this level; few,perhaps, aspire to do so. Nevertheless, the trainingwhich falls short of producing complete self-controlmay yet accomplish something in the way of fittingus, by taking the edge off our worry, to react morecomfortably to our surroundings, thus not onlyrendering us more desirable companions, butcontributing directly to our own health andhappiness.Under the ills produced by faulty mental tendenciesI do not include cancer and the like. This inclusionseems to me as subversive of the laws of natureas the cure of such disease by mental treatmentwould be miraculous. At the same time, seriousdisorders surely result from faulty mentaltendencies.

In this category we must include, for example,hypochondria, a disturbance shown by undueanxiety concerning one's own physical and mentalcondition. This disorder, with the allied fearsresulting from the urgent desire to be alwaysabsolutely safe, absolutely well, and absolutelycomfortable, is capable, in extreme cases, of sonarrowing the circle of pleasure and of usefulnessthat the sufferer might almost as well have organicdisease.Neurasthenia (nervous prostration) has for itsimmediate exciting cause some overwork or stressof circumstance, but the sufferer not infrequentlywas already so far handicapped by regrets for thepast, doubts for the present, and anxieties for thefuture, by attention to minute details and byunwillingness to delegate responsibilities to others,that he was exhausted by his own mental travailbefore commencing upon the overwork whichprecipitated his breakdown. In such cases theoccasion of the collapse may have been his work,but the underlying cause was deeper. Manyneurasthenics who think they are "all run down" arereally "all wound up." They carry their stress withthem.Among the serious results of faulty mental habitmust be included also the doubting folly (folie dudoute). The victim of this disorder is so querulouslyanxious to make no mistake that he is foreverreturning to see if he has turned out the gas,locked the door, and the like; in extreme cases he

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