• Question: Why do you get worried and how could you stop being so worried?

    Asked by OkayOkay to Rachel, Nicholas, David, Eva, Kate on 12 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by Lilybug005.
    • Photo: Nicholas Pearce

      Nicholas Pearce answered on 12 Nov 2015:

      Hello,

      I usually get worried if there’s something happening that I can’t control. Perhaps someone I know is sick, or my train is late – I can’t make my friend better or the train show up, so I worry.
      To stop being worried, I tend to remember this simple flow chart:

      If you CAN solve a problem –> Don’t worry, because there’s something you can do about it.
      If you CANT solve a problem –> Don’t worry, nothing you can do will fix it, so why waste time feeling worried?

    • Photo: David Nunan

      David Nunan answered on 13 Nov 2015:

      I used to worry a bit too much about what other people think of me or the work I’m doing. This was tricky for me because in science it’s all about presenting your ideas and your research findings to the rest of the scientific community and then being prepared for both positive and negative comments. I sometimes felt I might not be able to answer all the criticisms or questions.

      In the end though I started to realise that the more I studied and understood my area of science the more I realised that everyone else was just like me, in that they too had loads of things they didn’t know but they also had confidence and believed in what they did know. One of the biggest things I learn’t is that it’s ok to say “I don’t know”.

      Also, when I am feeling too worried I get away from my work and do my capoeira and exercise. Having other interests away from my work helps loads.

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