08 Nov How to squash worry and grab more happiness out of life in tough times
(Health.com) — These days it can feel like the age of anxiety is winning over the pursuit of happiness. An uncertain economy and the swine flu are just the tip of our worry iceberg.
In fact, scientists say women are wired to worry — at least more so than men. In a recent Health magazine poll, 54 percent of women said they worry more than their spouse, with only 12 percent claiming their partner worries more than they do. That’s thanks, in part, to the hormonal roller-coaster women ride month to month and through the years.
“The highs and lows can make women prone to feeling everything from anxious to depressed,” says Jerilyn Ross, a licensed independent clinical social worker, president and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and author of One Less Thing to Worry About.
And while men tend to be linear problem solvers, “Women are more in touch with their emotions, and worry is an emotion,” points out Dr. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and author of Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life. Still, experts say that with some practice we all can learn to be a little less worried and a whole lot happier.
Here’s your recipe for a more joyful life. Read on and say, “So long, dark side.”
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