How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

The author explores the causes of fatigue. Carnegie claims that the blood of manual workers shows significant levels of “fatigue toxins” at the end of the day (a pseudo-scientific term Carnegie invented). By contrast, blood from sedentary workers shows no such toxins. These results suggest that the brain does not become tired due to prolonged activity. The author suggests that, in these cases, fatigue is caused by unnecessarily tensing the muscles while working.

Carnegie presents the habit of relaxation as the solution to fatigue. While tensing muscles is a waste of energy, relaxing the body leads to relaxation of the mind. The author invites readers to stop and analyze if they are tensing their muscles. He recommends preventing eyestrain by closing the eyes and silently urging them to let go of tension. The same method can then be used on the face, neck, shoulders, and the rest of the body.

The author suggests that if all workers learned to relax, their physical and mental health would improve. He offers the following four tips:

1. Choose moments to relax the body completely, going “limp like an old sock” (257).
2. Work in as comfortable a position as possible to prevent muscle tension.
3. Several times a day, ask yourself if you are using unnecessary muscles.

At the end of the day, assess how tired you are.

Carnegie asserts that tension and fatigue are aging. This chapter explores self-care strategies to conquer these effects. The author outlines the work of physician Joseph H. Pratt, who established classes to help patients deal with worry and tension. A key factor in the success of Pratt’s classes was that participants could share their worries with others. Consequently, thousands of patients were cured of debilitating physical symptoms.

The author shares tips from Pratt’s classes, recommending the following:

• Share your worries with a trusted person.
• Keep a book of inspirational poems, prayers, or quotations.
• Focus on the positive attributes of others instead of their flaws.
• Show interest in other people.
• Before bed, write down your schedule for the next day.

Carnegie also recommends these relaxation exercises:

1. Lie flat on the floor and stretch, or sit tall in a chair, resting the palms on the top of the thighs. Do this twice a day.
2. Close your eyes and pray or recite a relaxing mantra.
3. Tense and relax all muscles from the toes up to the neck. Roll the head while repeating, “Let go.”
4. Breathe deeply and slowly.
5. Relax the face, smoothing out wrinkles and worry lines.

Habit 1: Keep a Clear Desk

Carnegie points out that keeping things in order is a crucial business practice, and yet most desks are piled with unnecessary paperwork. He asserts that a cluttered desk is a visual reminder of incomplete tasks, causing tension and anxiety. The author recommends dealing with tasks as they arise and limiting desk papers to what is required for the task at hand.

Habit 2: Prioritize

The author advises planning the tasks of each day in order of importance.

Habit 3: If Possible, Solve Problems Immediately

Carnegie recommends dealing with one issue at a time and, if the necessary information is available, making a decision. This method is highly effective and relevant in all areas of life and work.

Habit 4: Deputize

The author states that the inability to delegate has caused many business people to die prematurely. Overwhelmed by work, they become anxious and fatigued. Carnegie emphasizes that delegation is an essential skill.

Carnegie states that boredom is one of the key contributors to fatigue. He gives the hypothetical example of “Alice,” who comes home from her mundane job tired and aching. She intends to go straight to bed, but her boyfriend calls, asking her to a dance. Alice immediately brightens, gets changed, and returns in the early hours of the morning feeling revitalized.

The physiological effects of boredom were investigated by psychologist Joseph E. Barmack. In a series of experiments, Barmack monitored students while giving them a deliberately tedious set of tasks to complete. The students soon felt tired, developed headaches and stomach aches, and became irritable. Tests demonstrated that the participants’ metabolism, oxygen consumption, and blood pressure all slowed until they were given more interesting tasks.

Carnegie argues that those who enjoy their jobs are fortunate, as they will experience less fatigue and anxiety. However, he also offers tips on combating boredom for people who dislike their work. The author’s wife once worked as a stenographer for an oil company. She made the tedious job of filling out oil lease forms more interesting by creating a competition with herself. In the afternoons, she tried to exceed the number of forms she had completed in the morning. The next day, she tried to improve her daily total. By preventing boredom and fatigue, she was able to enjoy her leisure time.

Another stenographer, Vallie G. Golden, hated her job but realized many people would have been glad of it. By deciding to carry out her work as if she enjoyed it, Golden discovered she became more efficient and did not suffer from fatigue. She was soon recognized as a valuable asset to the company. Meanwhile, H. V. Kaltenborn found ways to make his job as a door-to-door salesman in Paris more exciting. Forced to repeat the same French script over and over, he pretended to be an actor performing to an audience.

Carnegie reiterates that an individual’s state of mind is key to performing a job. A positive outlook reduces worry and fatigue, makes work more interesting, and may even lead to promotion.

Carnegie states that many people worry when they are unable to sleep. However, he claims that “[w]orrying about insomnia” (283) is more harmful to personal well-being than insomnia itself. For example, his former student Ira Sandner’s sleep issues began when his alarm repeatedly failed to wake him in the morning. A friend advised him to focus on his alarm clock before he went to sleep to ensure he heard it the next day. However, this made Sandner obsessed with the clock’s ticking, which then kept him awake every night. His insomnia was finally cured when a doctor advised him to rest in bed without worrying about whether he slept. The technique worked, proving that worrying about sleeplessness was Sandner’s primary issue.

The author asserts that the amount of sleep required by humans is unknown, and some individuals can get by with very little. For example, Samuel Untermyer suffered from insomnia all his life. Instead of worrying about his sleeplessness, he used his wakeful hours to study and work while others slept. Untermyer lived to age 81 and was the first lawyer to receive a $1 million fee for a case. Carnegie also shares the case of Hungarian soldier Paul Kern. During World War I, Kern suffered a frontal lobe brain injury which left him unable to sleep. Doctors believed Kern’s life expectancy would be short, but he remained healthy for years. His case raised questions about whether sleep is absolutely necessary to life.

Carnegie suggests various activities to promote sleep. He recommends prayer before bed or the process of muscle relaxation. Tiring activities such as sports, gardening, or physical work also aid sleep. When readers are faced with insomnia, he advises them not to worry about it. Instead, get up, do something constructive, and remember that lack of sleep never killed anyone.