Sheley is worried about her financial situation. She has a home business that seems promising but is still barely producing and her credit card bills are starting to pile up. She picks up
newspaper to look at want ads, thinks about doing some marketing for her home business, wonders which is best course of action or if she should do both, and then decides to have a cigarette and clean house.Sam has marital problems. His wife has abandoned marriage, not just emotionally, but she’s moved out of house. He knows it’s over and wants to find a new love and get on with his life, but he’s worried about financial consequences if he files for divorce. He picks up phone to call a lawyer, gets put on hold, and decides it’s a better time to go sailing on his catamaran.
“The exercise will be good for me,” he tells himself. “Taking these extended sails is getting me in good physical shape. What does it matter if I take another 3 days off?”
Antonio has no idea what to do with retirement. People keep telling him how lucky he is to be able to retire, but he doesn’t see it that way. It’s one worry after another trying to figure out what to do with himself and how to pass time. He has a nagging suspicion his personal life coach was on to something in every suggestion she gave him, particularly one about his sense of self-worth being attached only to his profession and his need to develop his emotional intelligence and start creating next stage of his life.
He picks up ebook she sent him and reads something about authenticity. “This is getting on my nerves,” he tells himself, and his thoughts wander to his mistress. His hand reaches for phone.
Each of these people is addicted to something that’s stalling them out. The activity chosen varies, in their cases nicotine, a compulsive physical activity, and sex, but real source of problem is their addiction to worrying. The addiction gives then something to do when worry builds up. It’s action, but it’s spinning wheels, not going somewhere.
An addiction can be something that’s bad for your physical health such as cigarettes or drugs, in which case it’s a stretch to rationalize; or it can be something that’s good for your physical health, such as jogging or boating, in which case it’s easy to rationalize and you’ll also get positive affirmation from others. However, any addictive approach is bad for your total well-being – your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health.
