8 Things That Suck About Dating Worry-Warts You Didn’t Realize Before

"Maybe I should be worried he's going to leave me because of all the worrying."

Updated 10 years ago, November 13, 2014

I’m a worrier. I’ve always been that way. When I was a kid, I used to worry that I would develop a pig nose over night or that I would fall in the cafeteria while carrying my food to the table. (The second fear came true on more occasions than I care to admit.) I’m not sure why I worry. Maybe it’s genetic, maybe it’s not. Maybe I should look into this further. Maybe it’s the sign of something worse. Uh oh. Now I’m worried about worrying. (I also don’t like when people hug me, but that’s another story for a different time.)

Needless to say, being a worrier can be difficult to handle at times, and the only thing more difficult than being a worrier is being in a relationship with a worrier. Or at least I think so. It’s something I worry about.

My poor husband has been the victim of being married to a worrier. He knows all too well that if he doesn’t call, I’ll be convinced he fell into a ditch or was attacked by rabid boars. He also knows never to tell me anything bad that’s ever happened to a dog because I will then convince myself our dogs will be afflicted with whatever strange ailment he’s referring to.

I know. It’s bad. Maybe I should be worried he’s going to leave me because of all the worrying.

Either way, here are eight unfortunate realities when you’re dating a worry-wart.

1. You always have to make a detailed itinerary of your daily activities complete with locations and time frames of where you will be and when. A worry-wart always wants to know where her loved ones will be at all times should the world come to an end or burst into flames. I would suggest scheduling some down-time for yourself on the itinerary so you can regroup. Checking in with your significant other every hour gets exhausting.

2. You need unlimited texts to check in all day with your loved one. Please refer to item #1 above.

3. You can no longer watch shows like “48 Hour Mystery” or “Dateline” because those are just examples of what could absolutely happen if you don’t follow the itinerary or frequently text. Please refer to items #1 and #2 above.

4. Your friends think you’re insane for being with someone who is convinced the world is gloom and doom. Your friends might not be wrong.

5. You will purchase an obscene amount of insurance for every possible disaster, because, what IF?

6. You will become convinced you’re destined for financial ruin and no amount of investing will save you from becoming destitute when you’re older. That 401k will never be enough…

7. You’ll have to withstand WebMD searches every time you get so much as a sniffle. After all, it could be cancer. (Note: WebMD will always confirm it’s cancer, regardless of what you search for.)

8. You’ll have to check the locks in your home at least seven times each night just to make sure they’re actually locked. After all, the other six times might have been wrong.

Ready to date a worry-wart? Yeah, after reading all of these, I wouldn’t date me either.