The uncertainties surrounding the election next month and the escalating war in the Middle East have brought my worry meter to a point where I’m not sure it’s ever been in reaction to current events. Sure, it’s been ratcheted up pretty high for medical uncertainties of one sort or another but nothing quite like this for news.

My coping mechanisms are slim, at best. I’ve never been able to meditate, although I’m sure that would help if I could get the knack of it. Ditto yoga. I have family and friends with whom to share thoughts but I find that I often add one or two of their anxieties to my own. That doesn’t help. My one antidote is a walk, and the busier the setting, the better. Walking on Broadway today, for instance, was incredibly helpful. The weather was beautiful, there were so many people around, some good conversations to overhear, several fall-themed windows to gawk at, a few scooters to dodge, and always places to stop to get something to eat that there was just no time to worry.

So that’s what helps me lower my worry meter before it explodes, which, I suppose, is something else to worry about.