What, Me Worry?

by Guest Bloggers Richard Zwolinski, LMHC, CASAC and C.R. Zwolinski

Many therapists are seeing growing numbers of people struggling with anxiety about how America’s (and the world’s), problems are affecting them.

Floods. Hurricanes. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Volcanoes (both with pronounceable and unpronounceable names). Drought. Violence. Crime. Terrorism. Suicide Bombers. War. Child  Soldiers. Oil Spills. Global Warming. Global Cooling. Disease. Epidemics. Autism. Learning Disabilities. Physical Disabilities. Poverty. Hunger.  Economic Downturn. Unemployment. Job Instability. Debt. Bills. Abuse. Infidelity. Arguments. Divorce. Bullying. Traffic. (And the Loneliness. Sadness. Depression. Worry. Fear. Anxiety associated with them).

These are some of the topics many therapists are hearing about lately.

If you think about it, our minds are simply not big enough to comprehend the meaning of life and what appears to be a lot of life’s negativity.  So, we’d personally rather think about what is positive and reach out and act to fix what isn’t. Of course, this prescriptive focus does not preclude proper treatment for emotional issues.

However, when we participate in creating the solutions suddenly we see solutions everywhere.

Rescue Teams. Volunteers. Helping Hands. Thriving Wilderness and Parks. Neighborhood Watches. Doctors and Nurses. Teachers. Physical Therapy. Mental Health and Addiction Therapy. Food Programs. Interest-free Loan Funds. Clothing Deliveries. Investing in Children. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. Fiftieth Anniversaries. Taking care of others and ourselves. Corporate and Individual Charitable Donations. Religious Meeting Places. Families. Friends. Communities. Neighborhoods.

(Not watching or limiting television helps, by the way. So does creating healthy boundaries for what we read online and in print).

This article is a revised version of an article that appeared on the authors’ Therapy Soup blog at PsychCentral.com.