Regularly I find myself reaching for the Oxford dictionary to check on my understanding of a word.
Many are simple words and while my understanding of the meaning is close to that of the dictionary, I find myself at times using a synonym instead.
At the time of writing this article I looked up the dictionary meaning of worry and it said it was to feel or cause to feel troubled about actual of potential difficulties.
In my career, I found I tended to worry too much about potential difficulties that never end up happening.
I have used up so much mental energy and lost countless hours of sleep worrying about things that never happened.
Being prepared for future situations is very important - any plan is better than no plan.
Even with the events of recent years, having a plan for bushfires, climate change, COVID-19, Foot and Mouth Disease could be difficult, given most of us had not experienced it before to understand the nature of the beast we are dealing with.
Experience is not experience until you have experienced it the saying goes.
In many cases, it is the unknown that causes much of the worry.
Constantly I have been of the belief that worry is bought about by a lack of questions and action.
If you worry about the same thing repeatedly, address the matter head on - in other words get busy researching the topic and only talk the people who really do know. This is not the time to bury your head in the sand and hope the matter goes away.
If I was to have my consulting career all over again, I would be keen on facilitating civil discussions where two well informed farmers of opposing viewpoints would put their case.
I don't like debates - the parliament of this country is a good example of why I hold that position. Debates tend to end up with a win-lose situation and that is not my end goal.
It is to ensure the audience is better informed and can work together for a better overall outcome. I would demand the speakers acknowledge to good points of each other's case.
Some of the people that I respect highly hold a differing opinion to me and they have done a lot to remove my ignore of certain topics.
In managing my worry, I find a pen and paper helpful tools.
Writing down the perceived reasons for you worrying can lead to some very constructive questions.
While sourcing information on the internet is a very useful means of gaining information, I am still keen on human interaction to improve my understanding.
A lot of pub talk on a topic can be dangerous and usually fuels more worry because the source has put their interpretation on a matter and most times it has been embellished quite a deal.
In some cases, I avoid certain individuals in pubs for that very reason.
Another way of dealing with worry is to write down all the things that you have worried about over a lengthy period of time, then set about reviewing your recordings.
How many of the things that you worried about were in the end worth worrying about. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Then it may be useful to look for patterns in your worry. What type of things are you worrying about and is it happening at the same time each year?
Extensive research has revealed that only 10 per cent of what we humans worry about is worth worrying about - of course it varies from case to case.
Finding a way to not worry about the things you cannot control is a good starting point.
