Are you constantly worrying about everything and anything? Once one thing is resolved, do you often start worrying about something else? Would you like to stop worrying but you are not sure how?
Although constant worrying can be a sign of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), there are things that can help those struggling with GAD but also those of you who feel they worry too much.
Generalised anxiety disorder, known as GAD, can be overwhelming. Worries are characterised by a wide range of different issues and usually as soon as one worry is resolved, another one comes up. You may think: it is just me, I just have a lot of things going on and all those reasons to worry about. However, spending a bit more time to have a closer look into the content of your worries, can bring you closer to an answer if you really need to.
Often, one of the reasons why we worry about so many things and for such a long time is because those worries are hypothetical.
1. understand the distinction between hypothetical worry and real problem.
We cannot solve a problem that does not yet exist. If we learnt to respond to any hypothetical scenario with worrying, this can create an endless cycle as we start believing we do have reasons to continue to do so.
Therefore, next time you find yourself worrying, you can ask yourself ‘is what I am worried about hypothetical or is there a real problem to solve?’ What can help you identify hypothetical worry is that it often starts with ‘what if’ . ‘What if I will be late for this appointment?‘ or ‘what if I do not pass this exam?’.
2. spending some time thinking about whether you have any control over what you are worried about.
If you do, then great, there are probably active steps you can take to try to solve whatever you are worried about. As with the exam example – although you do not have control over the exam questions, you can study for as long as you have left, which will directly increase your chances of passing the exam. However, if you have no control over the source of your worries, simply stressing about it might not make much difference to the outcome but can cause a lot of negative effects for you.
Of course, it is easier said than done. If you have been worrying for such a long time it may be difficult to stop doing this completely immediately.
3. remembering to take small steps.
For example, you can start by assigning worry time for example 20 minutes every day in the afternoon. This can help you add boundaries to your worrying, and help you start to believe, you do not have to rely on worrying as it does not help to solve problems and it only creates an additional burden for you. Also, you can spend some time thinking about how your life would look like if you did not worry. Imagine how much time you could have to finally spend on the things you used to enjoy.
No matter how long you have responded to your problems with worrying, it is possible to approach the sources of the stress in a different way. It may not be easy at the beginning, but through small steps forward you can start learning that worrying brings only costs to yourself and rarely any benefits.