No. 221 - THE LAW OF HYPOCHONDRIA

No. 221

Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE LAW OF HYPOCHONDRIA

One time I heard about a lady who constantly complained about ailments of various kinds and someone asked her, Have you ever been real sick? She said, No, Ive just never been real well. This lady could have very well been suffering from a condition that has come to be known as hypochondria. This word means, The persistent neurotic conviction that one is or is likely to get sick or become ill. In other words, the person who suffers from hypochondria is a person subject to imaginary ailments.

In our society this type of person is known as a hypochondriac and in most cases he or she is not a very pleasant person to be around. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer has left us with this insight: hypochondria is a species of torment which not only makes us unreasonably cross with the things of the present, but also leads to unmerited self-reproach for what we have done in the past.

To be sure, most of us do not like to be around someone who is a constant complainer and this is especially true when it comes to his or her health. In my case however, I learned a valuable lesson several years ago. I knew a lady in the community where we used to live and every time I was around her she complained about not feeling well. I came to the conclusion that she was just a hypochondriac, but about two weeks later she died. She really was in pain and while I dont know this for sure, if she had been properly diagnosed earlier she may still be living today.

Now this question please. Have you ever known someone whom you knew for sure or even suspected to be a hypochondriac? If you have then you know that its awfully hard to deal with this type of person. For the most part they do not think, reason or rationalize in logical terms. Rather, its their emotions that more or less controls how they see things. Please understand that Im not a doctor or a psychiatrist and Im not qualified to delve too deeply into the problems of human personality.

However, as it relates to the Law Of Hypochondria, which is part of a series of success laws that Ive been doing for some time now, in general terms I can make you aware of its application as it relates to ones personal success. The person who is a hypochondriac for whatever reason, is emotionally unstable and this fact alone would make it very difficult to achieve any lasting success, regardless of the field or career.

But here is the good news: the person who is suffering from hypochondria acquired the condition because of such personality characteristics as inertia, hatred, conflict, jealousy, feelings of inferiority, and the lack of one dominating single interest. This goes back to the old business of What we sow is what we also reap. When we allow our mind to constantly feed on harmful, negative information, it then increases the chances of our mind playing all kinds of tricks on us. This is in keeping with the definition I talked about earlier: One who is subject to imaginary ailments.

Here is the bottom line of what Ive been saying: lifes Law Of Hypochondria tells us that human beings have a great tendency to imaginary ailments that we must be on guard against. These must constantly be controlled, regulated and disciplined, if we are to have any real chance for success. If you or someone you know suffers from this condition, here is the most positive suggestion I could ever give you. Unless you are talking with your doctor or a select few friends, dont tell others about your ailments. In most cases, they cant help you and it will just make them think less of you. (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)