When Worrying Becomes a Problem
By the staff of Heartland Human Services
Everyone worries to a certain extent; however, there is a point when worrying can become a problem. Worrying becomes a problem when it causes significant impairment to daily functioning. Perhaps an individual just cannot get to sleep because of the constant worrying or they have trouble getting things done at work or at home due to the time that is spent worrying. When worrying controls your life it is time to make changes. Why is it important to change your worrying ways? Worrying can be linked to both physical and emotional problems. According to the Anxiety Disorder Association of America, excessive worry can cause muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, and can contribute to irregular sleep patterns. Excessive worrying may eventually lead to heart, lung or digestive problems. Physical problems are not the only concern with excessive worrying. One may feel helpless or have trouble concentrating and making decisions due to worries.
What can be done to get a handle on and start controlling those agonizing thoughts that just won’t stop coming? Many techniques for reducing anxiety have been developed with some being more effective than others. Thoughts and Feelings, Taking Control of Your Mood and Your Life by Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning provides detailed information on anxiety reduction techniques. Following is an overview of their suggestions. A first step would be observing your worries and breaking them down. Often one feels overwhelmed by the number of things on their mind or perhaps they start to think of something and the negative thoughts related to this just keep coming. Writing or listing worried thoughts helps to determine the true cause for concern and will allow you to eliminate any irrational thoughts. The irrational thinking occurs when one makes the problem larger than it is, has thoughts that something cannot be done, or has catastrophic thoughts related to the issue at hand.
Once the worries are broken down, restructuring the worries and irrational thoughts can be done. While restructuring sounds like a difficult or confusing task, it is really very simple. After listing out the thoughts that are present, one analyzes them. Ask questions such as “what is the probability this is going to actually happen? If it does, is it really going to be as bad as I am making it out to be? What difference will it make if it does happen?” This breaks an irrational thought back down to the actual problem at hand. Then the worried thought can be replaced with a new, manageable and rational thought. By breaking the irrational thoughts down, an individual can determine what an effective coping mechanism should be.
Reducing worrying to a certain time during the day can actually be very effective as well. In doing this, one must catch each time they worry throughout the day. This worry can be written down to save for the worry appointment. This worry appointment is a specific period of time set aside to concentrate on worries. Yes, it sounds odd to make yourself worry when you are trying to learn to stop worrying as much. What this specific worry time does is help control worry. It reduces it to a certain time and place. So set up a worry appointment and then throughout the day when you find yourself worrying, write the thought down and save it until worry time. Cognitive restructuring and problem solving can also be used during worry time to work through concerns.
Changing worry behaviors and patterns of worry can be difficult. However, with persistence it can be done. It is important to develop a plan and stick with it. The results of reducing worry will be beneficial in every aspect of your life.
For more information on worrying and anxiety related problems, please contact Heartland Human Services at (217) 347-7179