Nerves and Common Sense eBook

Annie Payson Call (author)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 194 pages of information about Nerves and Common Sense.

Nerves and Common Sense eBook

Annie Payson Call (author)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 194 pages of information about Nerves and Common Sense.

“But, mother,” her daughter answered, “I have been to see Mrs. Robinson, and taken her some flowers, and told her how sorry you would be to hear that she was ill.”

“My dear,” said the fagged mother with a slight tone of irritation in her voice, “that was very good of you, but of course that was not my going, and if I should let to-day pass without going to see her, when I have just heard of her illness, it would be unfriendly and unneighborly and I should not forgive myself.”

“But, mother, you are tired; you do need to rest so much.”

“My dear,” said the mother with an air of conscious virtue, “I am never too tired to do a neighborly kindness.”

When she left the house her daughter burst into tears and let out the strain which had been accumulating for weeks.

Finally, when she had let down enough to feel a relief, a funny little smile came through the tears.

“There is one nervously worn-out woman gone to comfort and lift up another nervously worn-out woman—­if that is not the blind leading the blind then I don’t know.  I wonder how long it will be before mamma, too, is in the ditch?”

This same story could be reversed with the mother in the daughter’s place, and the daughter in the mother’s.  And, indeed, we see slight illustrations of it, in one way or the other, in many families and among many friends.

This, then, is the first answer to any woman’s question, “Why am I so nervous?” Because you do not use common sense in taking exercise, fresh air, nourishment, and rest.

Nature tends toward health.  Your whole physical organism tends toward health.  If you once find yourself out and begin to be sensible you will find a great, vigorous power carrying you along, and you will be surprised to see how fast you gain.  It may be some time before Nature gets her own way with you entirely, because when one has been off the track for long it must take time to readjust; but when we begin to go with the laws of health, instead of against them, we get into a healthy current and gain faster than would have seemed possible when we were outside of it, habitually trying to oppose the stream.

The second reason why women are nervous is that they do not govern their emotions.  Very often it is the strain of unpleasant emotions that keeps women nervous, and when we come really to understand we find that the strain is there because the woman does not get her own way.  She has not money enough.

She has to live with some one she dislikes.  She feels that people do not like her and are neglectful of her.  She believes that she has too much work to do.  She wishes that she had more beauty in her life.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
Nerves and Common Sense from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.