I think there is a formula for worry and it is as follows:

(Personal preponderance x seriousness) x worry space available at that moment

PP x S is fairly obvious. For example – if you are a right worry guts, score say 10 and the problem is big, say 8, that produces a score of 80 – pretty high. On the other hand someone who does not worry, with a pp of 2, with same serious issue will score only 16, pretty low. Where my formula is brilliant is the additional calculation for available worry space. For example – if you are really busy at a dinner party fending off the lascivious lips of a Tory Grandee who has had too much Port, then the worry space available for the serious problem at the back of your mind may be very low, let’s say 2 – now if we pop that number into either calculation it produces a low result for the worry for the serious problem we started with. If on the other hand we are at the same dinner party, staring into our navels and the worry space available is high it will produce a bigger result indicating more worry. Of course if no worry space is available at all eg zero, then the problem is not a worry for that moment.

My argument here is that the amount you worry is not proportionate to the seriousness of the problem. In the past I have worried much more about less serious issues than those I currently face because my preponderance and the available worry space were both higher. And that’s why it is important to take lots of drugs to take the part of the Tory Grandee. Jeez what am I talking about – just ignore all this.