The Worry Hook

Metaphorical Narrative

Imagine a fisherman at the edge of a lake. His bait isn’t food, it’s concern. “I’m worried about you,” he calls, dropping the line into the water. The hook glimmers — not metal, but words that sound like love.

Step closer, and you see what happens: once you bite, the pull begins. The fisherman reels you in, not to free you, but to keep you in his bucket of “what’s acceptable.” The worry was never about you. It was the lure to get you tethered.

The lake itself doesn’t worry. It just reflects the sky and moves with the wind. The hook is an intrusion — not part of your flow.

Core Insight

Worry-as-control is a psychological trick. It sounds like care, but it transfers ownership of emotions: “I feel anxious, so you must reveal yourself until I calm down.”

The problem? Their anxiety is not your bill to pay. If you accept it, you end up performing reassurance instead of living your own reality. True care never demands a report card. It offers presence without a leash.

Saturday Experiment

1. Next time someone says “I’m worried about you,” pause. Notice if you feel the urge to explain yourself.
2. Instead of feeding details, answer with a boundary phrase:
   • “I’ve got this handled.”
   • “I hear you.”
   • Or even silence with a smile.
3. Watch how the hook dangles when you don’t bite. You’ll feel the difference between care that lifts you and worry that cages you.

Sunday Reflection

• In the third person: Where in their life has this person mistaken “worry” for love?
• When they stop feeding worry with explanations, what opens up inside them?
• How can they tell the difference between genuine care and disguised control?