Worry is in the same family as fear. It might be as close to fear as a cousin or sibling.
When you worry about something, fear is there. It’s a low level of fear, but it’s definitely there. And it can grow into full-on fear if you let it linger.
The word “worry” originates from something disturbing. It comes from the Middle English “wirien” which means “to slay, kill or injure by biting and shaking the throat.” Apparently the term is attributed to what a dog or wolf would do to its prey.
Notice how the word can be used whether it’s just through injury… but also in the case of death as well. Not every victim of a dog or wolf would necessarily die from “wirien” — but it’s possible. The word covers all of those outcomes.
You could argue that worry does the same. Slight worry might be irritating. Greater worrying can be debilitating. Ongoing worry can lead to health concerns that could spell even greater tragedy. The degrees of worry are vast… and how worry affects one person will be different than how it affects another. But it does affect anyone and everyone, no matter what.
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” — Corrie Ten Boom
Worry is fear in sheep’s clothing. If you can create certainty in those areas of your life where worry lives, then you don’t give it what it needs to survive and thrive.
And that means you can just drive.