Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-22
THE WORRY Habit.
A Chief Cause of the Nervous ALL
ments Of the Day.

From the New York Herald.
Dr. Thomas c. Ely of Philadelphia, in
an article on neurasthena in the Journal
Of the American Medical Association, lays
much stress on hurry and worry as lead
ing causes of nervous exhaustion. He has
this to say:
Learn to hurry little and worry not at
ALL An illustration consists in the fatigue
from the hurry to catch a train. which Is
out of all proportion to the physical effort
expended Individuals are too much like
the modern telephone sign, Always on
duty" For hurried and worried business
or hurried and worried pleasure, hurry
alone or worry alone. are poisonous to the
normal functions of the nerve system. But
the American combination of worried hurry
is deadly. Each brings into action the
worst features of the other
OF course, every one who stops to think
will agree with the author, but how few
are able to follow his good advice? Worry
is only the extra work, the increased
wear and tear, for which we are never
paid 1t always binders but never wins.
1t means ncapacity for anticipated eff
forts and yet we constantly blame cir
cumstances rather than our individual
selves. The man who is always ready
and takes time to be sure before he starts
never need hurry or worry. How few
can do this consistently! Then comes the
breakdown which is so often charged to
mere overwork. In ninety-nine cases in
that eventually weakens and kills.
Tia gloomy foreboding not only saps
the energy of all valiant endeavor to con-
quer difficulties. but cheats us In the end
by proving the old adage that the ex-
pected never happens" If we compare
notes we can easily prove the comforting
truth of the saying. If the disconsolate
man who for years feared the death OF
n xxyiS how knn oh ia
would survive him for more than a quarter
Of century how much unnecessary mental
suffering would have been spared him.
The absolute inutiity Of worry Is the
more often a surprise and delight than
disappointment and discipline. We
grieve when we look ahead and smile
when we look back. But with most
new obstacles appear. It Is the old story
that the last difficulty will be insurmount-
able. But each in his turn soon learns that
he cannot control events, disturb the rela-
lions of cause and effect or alter the i'm
mutable laws of destiny. no matter how
strongly he may yearn to do so. The only
reasonable way to adjust matters is to
wait until the time comes for the solution
Of the dreaded problem.
Mostly, also, we lack the courage. pa
tience, good judgment and preparedness to
meet the issues as they arise. We waste
thought, strain nerve and Danish sleep in
anticipation Of that which never transpires.
Don't shoot until they come OUT combines
lots of sound wisdom with no end of good
philosophy. We not only worry in ad-
vance of the thing. but after 1t is done.
If we calmly planned our escape and tried
our best what more could have been done?
A main difficulty is in striving to do too
much and in overtaxing our capacities.
The strong, steady, self-reliant man has
no misgivings, but the weak one mistrusts
everything, himself Included. He contrives
against odds and worries and hurries, while
others eat, sleep and are merry.
But this Is going to be the way with
the average nervous American. 1t was
he, in fact who invented neurast henia.
The disease has become habit with him,
and worry, hurry, restlessness and irrita-
bility are its leading features. He takes
his business home with him, eats with it,
sleeps with it, dreams with it. It is hts
shadow at the fireside and table; 1t blurs
all his pleasures. stands between him and
his family, all because he must borrow
trouble and mortgage happiness. health
and life in the balance.