"El problema de preocuparse es que siempre parece absurdo después de que el evento ha terminado"

Worrying is like paying interest on a debt you might not even owe. When we worry, we expend mental and emotional energy on things that may never come to pass. After the fact, when the moment of supposed crisis has passed, we often look back and realize how unnecessary all that stress really was.

Let’s think about the core idea here. Worrying, at its heart, is about fear of the unknown. It’s the mind's way of preparing for every possible outcome. But here’s the kicker: most of the time, the things we worry about don’t actually happen. And even if they do, they’re often not as disastrous as we imagined.

Historically, this concept has been around forever. Take the Stoics, for instance. Marcus Aurelius, one of the most famous Stoic philosophers, talked a lot about the futility of worry. He suggested that we should only concern ourselves with what is within our control and let go of the rest. This idea is still super relevant today, in a world where we're bombarded by information and feel like we need to control everything.

Now, let’s get into a real-life example. Picture this: You’ve got a big presentation at work. You spend the whole week worrying about it. What if you mess up? What if your boss hates it? The night before, you’re up late, rehearsing in front of the mirror, heart racing. Then the day arrives. You give your presentation, and guess what? It goes fine. Maybe even great! Your boss gives you a thumbs-up, and your colleagues nod approvingly. And all that worry? It seems so pointless now, doesn’t it? Hindsight shows us how much we blew things out of proportion.

So, what can we do to avoid this trap? Here’s some advice: When you catch yourself spiraling into worry, take a step back. Ask yourself: “Is this within my control?” If it’s not, try to let it go. Focus on what you can do now, in the present. Another thing? Practice mindfulness. Stay in the moment. When you’re present, it’s harder for your mind to race ahead to all those “what ifs.”

Imagine you’re at that same coffee shop, chatting with a friend. Your friend is nervous about an upcoming job interview. They’ve been losing sleep over it, imagining all the ways it could go wrong. You tell them to take a deep breath. “Think about what’s in your control,” you say. “You can prepare your best, show up on time, and present yourself well. The rest? It’s out of your hands.” Your friend nods, a little bit of the tension easing from their shoulders.

In the end, worrying is a natural human response. But by recognizing its futility and focusing on what we can control, we can lighten our mental load. It’s about making a conscious effort to live in the now and trust that we’ll handle the future as it comes. And if we do, we might just find that we’re spending less time fretting and more time truly living. So next time you catch your mind racing with worries, remind yourself: this too shall pass, and looking back, it might just seem a bit silly.