Ever found yourself tossing and turning in bed because something’s got into your head, is driving you crazy and you just can’t sleep? That’s what happened to Alf when his doctor unexpectedly ticked a box on a form.Alf had been a long distance lorry driver for most of his life and even had 20 years working for the British Army as an experienced Heavy Goods Vehicle driver. But, when he passed retirement age, he discovered that he was required to have an annual health check to ensure he was still fit to drive large vehicles. Everything was fine until he visited the local surgery and was ushered in to see a relief doctor. The medic asked if he had any problems, to which he replied “not really, just the usual stiff neck I’ve had for years.” Thinking no more of his comment he went home but, six weeks later, the British licensing authorities dropped him a line to the effect that they were ‘making further health investigations’ before re-issuing his HGV licence; Alf was devastated. Might be be banned from driving altogether, and what about his motor home, would he be able to drive that? His mind ran amok. As far as Alf was concerned he was perfectly fit, no previous doctor had ever made mention of his ‘stiff neck’ but, because the relief GP had decided to tick a box passed over by all his predecessors, Alf now found himself the subject of a health investigation.He has spent the last few weeks tossing and turning in bed. The whole issue has got into his head, upset him, given him sleepless nights and, as a result, impacted his mental health. Ironic isn’t it? You believe yourself to be fit and healthy but, because someone else unwittingly questions that by their action, you end up becoming upset and mentally unhealthy! But what can Alf do? Absolutely nothing! He’s meshed in the bureaucratic system and nothing on God’s planet will change that. All he can do is chill out and wait. Right now Alf is allowed to drive, he will only be required to STOP driving if the licensing authorities deem him unfit; they might not! So, to all intents and purposes, his life hasn’t changed! It might be a blip that passes without event. But, right now, there is nothing Alf can do except stop worrying. My grandmother always used to say ‘worry is unproductive thought’ and how right she was.Yes, I know that ‘turning off’ is not easy but it is something that can be learnt. I became a master at it by identifying all my problems and challenges, and then mentally locking each one of them into a small pigeon hole. Whenever one of those issues needed to be dealt with, the pigeon hole ‘locker’ was mentally opened, overviewed and then closed again. None of the other boxes were ever opened at the same time. I called it ‘pigeon hole’ problem solving. One issue at a time.If you fail to master this skill then you are destined to have sleepless nights and a life of anxiety and worry. Start by writing down all your problems so that you can physically see them on a piece of paper, then prioritise them. Even write notes in your diary as to when they need dealing with, and make a contract with yourself……I cannot do anything to change things before that date so I’m going to ‘park’ the issue. Worry is so damaging and, sometimes, it is thrust upon you by circumstance, however, it is how you deal with such unproductive energy that will truly determine your ultimate state of mind and whether, or not, you remain healthy. Park the problems. One at a time or the visits to the Doc could become more frequent!
