This article was published in the "Martinelli Newspapers" in the June 1, 2006 weekly issue of The Westchester Crusader, The Rye Chronicle, The Eastchester Record, The Pelham Sun, The Sound View News Home News & Times, The Mt. Vernon Independent, Harrison Independent
and North Castle News

Life and Money - "Don't Worry, Baby"

By Frank Sisco, CPA, PFS

(Word count = 790 plus 67 words for About the Author)

Our health is impacted significantly by worry, which in turn can damage our financial health.  The more we worry, the worse things seem.  Some of us meditate or pray to ease the burden of concerns.  Others talk it out, while some go into a shell.  Here are a few ideas to help you to reduce worrying.

1.  Tell yourself "Don't Worry, Baby" from the perspective of a loved one comforting you. The Beach Boys had a big hit called "Don't Worry, Baby," written by Brian Wilson. The song's first verse tells what happens to many of us when we let our worries get out of hand.

"Well it's been building up inside of me,

For oh I don't know how long.

I don't know why but I keep thinking,

Something's bound to go wrong."

Further on in the song, the girl consoles her boyfriend about his anxiety over an upcoming risky car race.  Think of someone you've consoled recently, perhaps a child who was very anxious about an issue that was huge for him or her, but actually very minor.  Then, when you worry, imagine someone consoling you.  When I find myself worrying, sometimes I pull out of my wallet a quote from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" that states: "Trust me darling, that these current woes and sorrows will be the stuff of sweet discourse in our future."  Shakespeare was right.  We should remind ourselves that time heals.

Worry can hold us back from changing to a more lucrative career or business, making important changes in estates and insurance coverage, or proceeding with a needed reallocation of investments.  Extreme worry can lead to anxiety and depression. Here is what Jesus said about worry in the Gospel according to Matthew (6:31 - 35): 

"So do not worry; do not say, ‘what are we to eat?  What are we to drink?  How are we to be clothed?’  It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things.  Your heavenly Father knows you need them all.  Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on His righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well.  So do not worry about tomorrow.  Tomorrow will take care of itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

2.  Reduce worry by focusing on the present and trusting in the future.  I believe we get so carried away with the importance of planning for the future that we miss out on the present, and spend too much time away from family, friends and leisure activities.   Of course, it is important to plan for retirement or to plan for your children’s education, and to start saving and investing today, in the present, for tomorrow.  Living in the present does not mean you should ignore the future.  Instead, you should properly plan that the unexpected can happen, then not worry about it, but leave it for the future.  Four financial planning steps that can relieve your anxiety over the future by taking action in the present are: (1) Keep wills and trusts up to date. (2) Get your family properly insured. (3) Get rid of clunkers in your portfolio.(4) Obtain at least some long-term care insurance coverage.

3.  Accept the fact that things can continue to get better or continue to get worse.

When it rains, it pours, . . . and pours and pours.  And when things are going well for us, it seems as if we hit a long lucky patch in the road.  Why does this happen?  No one knows for sure.  It might be that the pessimism resulting from an arduous event leads to a psychologically negative position, which leads to more negative events.  Then, we get so sick of bad times that we gather the strength necessary to turn around our fortunes and bring about good times, often by communicating with those around us.  A similar cycle might hold for the persistence of good events until complacency sets in and a bad event occurs.  It may also be that God is reminding us that we are not necessarily in control, that we are at the mercy of events around us, and that by placing faith in God, we will get through.  When you are down, accept that you will go lower before you go higher.  When you are up, accept that you will go lower after you go higher.  Through acceptance comes peace and calm.  And worry falls away.

Near the end of the Beach Boys song are the lines "Don't worry baby.   Everything will turn out alright."  And, you know what?  It usually does.

Please write me about what you do to reduce worrying, and I'll include your comments with your permission in future columns.

About the author.

Frank Sisco is a CPA and Personal Financial Specialist, and author of many articles about personal finance and issues of life and money.   His firm, Financial Management Corporation, is located in Harrison, NY.  Frank resides with his wife and daughter in New Rochelle, NY.  He can be reached at 914.381.3737 or by email at ideasmoney@aol.com.  Visit his website at www.LifeAndMoney.com, which contains this and prior articles.