November 16th, 2006
Thursday Thirteen Things To Worry About (#13)
I’m a worry-wart. I worry about all kinds of things and I can’t turn it off. I worry about whether or not my cats hate me. I worry about whether or not my co-workers are talking about me. I worry about whether or not the world is going to blow up today or if my house is going to burn down or if my headache means I’m getting a brain tumor.
I’m in therapy. At least I’m trying to get a grip, but it turns out that there are a lot of people who worry about a lot of things out there. Some things are worried about far more than they need to be and some things aren’t worried about enough. That’s what this week’s theme is.
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- Don’t worry so much about getting a brain tumor. Apparently there’s less than a 1% chance that you’ll develop a cancer originating in your brain. If you must worry about cancer, worry about lung cancer; it’s the leading cancer killer of women. (Check out cancer.gov)
- Don’t worry so much about being in a plane crash. As big a deal as I make of it here, the fact is that as few as 18 people died for every 41.7 million who flew on U.S. air carriers last year. The truth is that most people’s fear of flying stems from a fear of lack of control (like mine). The odds of you dying in an automobile accident are one in 237 over your lifetime, compared with one in 1.25 million over your lifetime for a commercial plane crash, according to the National Safety Council in Itasca, Illinois.
- Don’t worry so much about having a miscarriage. One out of five pregnancies that is confirmed in a doctor’s office ends in miscarriage. Most miscarriages occur because of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus and not because of something the mother ate, drank, or did.
- Don’t worry so much about having bad breath. Only about one in seven people suffers from chronic halitosis. You wouldn’t know it from the gum, mint and breath freshener advertisers. Apparently the advertisers are winning because up to 1/3rd of the patients who see their doctor about chronic bad breath don’t have it.
- Worry a little about being in a car crash. Motor vehicle accidents are the number-one cause of accidental death for women and the number-one killer of women under the age of 35. (whew! Just missed me!) Each year, 40,000 Americans die on the road. In fact, fear of vehicular death is unbelievably low in this country because Americans are familiar with cars and think they’re “in control” — so “in control” that one in five Americans still don’t wear a seat belt.
- Worry a little about becoming disabled. One third of all Americans between 35 and 65 will become disabled for more than 90 days, according to the American Council of Life Insurers in Washington, D.C. A 20-year-old worker’s chances of becoming disabled are approximately twice as great as her chances of dying before retirement age, yet only 28 percent participate in group long-term benefits. (My mother was surprised to learn that I always carry both short-term and long-term insurance in case something happens to my hands or arms. Can’t imagine what a programmer would do without them.)
- Worry a little about getting breast cancer. One in 13 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer (one in eight if their mom or sister has the disease). It is the second-leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women, after lung cancer. But 94% of new cases of breast cancer are in women age 40 or older. My grandmother and great-grandmother both had breast cancer. I’m not waiting for my mother. If breast cancer runs in your family, find a doctor who will begin regular mammograms as early as 30 or 35. (To learn more, go to BreastCancer.org)
- Worry a little about contracting diabetes. Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in America. The death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent since 1987, due to the rise in type 2, the kind traditionally developed later in life — only more and more kids are getting it now. It’s also the leading cause of blindness, amputation and dialysis, and increases a person’s risk for heart disease.
- Worry a little about going blind. An estimated one in 200 Americans is legally blind. Sixty-seven percent of blind Americans are female, mostly because women live longer, but other factors, such as genetics, sex hormones, and lifestyle differences, may put women at increased risk.
- Be very afraid of getting skin cancer. Cancer of the skin is the most common cancer. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer, including nonmelanoma cancers, which are more common and rarely fatal, and melanoma, which accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths. The rate of nonmelanoma cancers, including basal cell and squamous cell varieties, has nearly tripled in women under 40 in the past 30 years.
- Be very afraid of contracting an STD. Your lifetime chance of getting an STD is greater than one in two. How scary is that? Made me cross my legs when I read it.
- Be very afraid of having a heart attack. Two in five women will die from heart disease. And women are less likely to make a big deal about it while it’s happening.
- Be very afraid of being in a fire. You have a one in 1,179 chance of dying in a fire from exposure to smoke or flames. Fires in homes caused 82% of fire deaths in 2004. Less than 1/4th of households have a tested escape plan, and almost a third think they’d have at least 6 minutes to escape. Most likely you’d only have two or three minutes. (For more information, go to NFPA.org) This one is particularly timely for me as I prepare to move into my first home with thoughts of my friend’s housefire on my mind. You can bet your wet-willies I’ll be making extra certain to fire-proof the house.
Source: Self, August, 2006.
tags: Thursday Thirteen, meme, bloghopping, risks, accidents, health, cancer, fear, interesting trivia
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19 comments
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on November 16, 2006 at 4:46 am
amy said:
It stinks to worry about stuff. I know because coworkers think I am way too paranoid
on November 16, 2006 at 5:55 am
Caylynn said:
Thanks for sharing. So many people worry about the wrong things, and are indifferent to things that are much more likely to harm them. I can’t believe all the people who still sun-tan and lie in tanning beds because they think they aren’t at risk for skin cancer.
I’m personally not too worried about type II diabetes because I eat healthy and I’m active, both of which help to prevent type II diabetes.
Thanks for educating us!
Happy T13.:)
on November 16, 2006 at 6:30 am
Silver said:
I refuse to worry
Happy TT!
on November 16, 2006 at 6:32 am
Sonny said:
uh! your post made me start thinkin’…
Greetings from Germany,
Sonny
on November 16, 2006 at 8:30 am
deb said:
Excellent TT post. I don’t worry as much as I did when I was younger. Seems the older I get, the more I just roll with the punches
on November 16, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Caryle said:
I worry about ridiculous things, like choking on a french fry while I’m eating dinner alone in my apartment, rather than the big stuff usually.
I’m a tad bizarre, I know.
It absolutely kills me that there are so many people that still don’t wear their seat belt. Sigh.
Happy Thursday!
on November 16, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Miranda said:
Wow, and I thought I was a worry wart. Lol…great list!
on November 16, 2006 at 2:29 pm
baggage said:
I am a huge worrywart. I worry about everything. Happy TT!
on November 16, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Jane said:
Well, I think I’ll just go crawl in a hole!! Worrying shortens your life. To be concerned is OK but don’t obsess.
Thanks for stopping by my T13.
on November 16, 2006 at 3:30 pm
goofy girl said:
Interesting. I worry a lot myself, but I’m trying to worry a little bit less. I dont worry about health stuff as much as the people around me and school.
on November 16, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Laughing Muse said:
And then there’s the ugly highly ironic catch-22 that excessive worrying may help contribute to stroke, heart attack, or general wear and tear on the overall system.
My own mode tends to be:
* start to worry about something
* figure out what I’ll do if that something comes to pass
* take the necessary steps to be ready to take those actions (make sure my will is up to date, make sure I have money in savings, make sure I have a solid disaster recovery plan in place for my business, what have you)
* stop worrying - because I know what I’ll do, I’ve done what I can, anything else just gives away my valuable energy. And I need that to enjoy my cats, my friends, my business, my family, my life.
Best of luck to you in managing your worry-tendencies. That can’t be easy - I’ll keep my epilepsy, you can keep the worrying, and when we find the solutions, we’ll trade information and rule the world
on November 16, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Sophisticated Writer said:
Well, now that’s scary. I do worry and now I’m seriously worried.
on November 16, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Cheryl said:
My first pregnancy I really worried about having a miscarriage. I started bleeding a little and went to see a doctor. He told me I had a 50/50 chance of miscarrying. Wonderful bedside manners.
on November 16, 2006 at 6:37 pm
kristarella said:
I’m kind of worried about Breast Cancer. My mum had it…
Great idea for a TT, very balanced and researched points. No hot-headedness.
on November 16, 2006 at 9:47 pm
D Cootey said:
Apparently, I’m in danger of having a heart attack. My blood pressure is rather high. I used to worry about having a heart attack in my sleep because I had sleep apnea, but my CPAP sort of alleviates that worry now, unless I forget to put it on.
The only thing I worry about now is whether people respect me and whether I will overcome my disabilities in order to become a success.
Great list. I loved your response to the STD stat.
My Thursday Thirteen
~Douglas
-=-
The Splintered Mind - Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude
on November 17, 2006 at 12:42 pm
The Shrone said:
I guess I count as the permanently disabled, though I continue to lead a “normal” life, so I suppose it’s the nature of the disability that has an impact or not. I didn’t realize that the STD rate was so high! Sheesh! I used to volunteer in a Planned Parenthood office and learned that a condom doesn’t protect against herpes.
on November 17, 2006 at 12:53 pm
n. mallory said:
Certainly makes you think, doesn’t it?
on November 17, 2006 at 5:57 pm
Darla said:
Ah, risk assessment. A lost art. Good list.
on November 19, 2006 at 2:29 pm
buttercup said:
Thanks for visiting my TT.
I’ll say that your list was both helpful, because of the things I shouldn’t worry that much about, but also a tiny bit alarming because of the things we should worry about “a little bit.” I know there’s no sense in worrying b/c you can’t change what’s going to happen, but I too am a worrier.