OK worriers. Here is the challenge for you. I will dedicate this blog for the next eight weeks to giving you the tools to get a handle on your worries. But it's going to require some work. Are you willing to actually do something to deal with your worries?
All of us worry at times---but some of us worry almost every day. In fact, 38 % of people say that they worry every day and chronic worriers often say, "I've been a worrier all my life". Worry eventually leads to depression and makes your life miserable. So, let's do something about it.
What is a worry?
What do I mean by "worry"? Let's define worry as repetitive thoughts about the future that are pessimistic. Typical worries are in the form of "what if?" statements. Do any of the following sound familiar to you?
• What if I never find the lover of my dreams?
• What if I end up alone?
• What if I have a dreaded disease?
• What if my money runs out?
• What if my lover leaves me?
• What if someone I care about gets hurt?
• What if made a mistake?
• What if I get rejected?
• What if I make a complete fool of myself?
• What if I never get to sleep?
You get the picture.
Your worries are predictions---- and they just get repeated over and over in your head. It's not like you have one thought for one minute--- "What if I have a dreaded disease?"---and then you move on to your usual activity. I am not going to count that as a worry. That's just an annoying thought. No, worry for us will be repeating these thoughts, getting stuck on them, feeling like you need the answer to them---and that they are important for you. You keep spinning your wheels in a thought and you never move forward.
Worries are not your feelings. For example, saying "I feel anxious" is a report about your emotions, it's not a prediction. A prediction is a statement that we could potentially check out and find if it's true or false. For example, "I will fail the exam" is something we can verify.
Do you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Take a look at the list below and see if you qualify for the diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
• Excessive worry for most days for six months
• Difficulty controlling the worry
• Your worry interferes with your daily life
• Three of the following symptoms most days:
o restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
o being easily fatigued
o irritability
o muscle tension
o difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep
o difficulty concentrating or the mind going blank
GAD is chronic. One year after being diagnosed (but not treated) 85 % of people with GAD are still having significant problems. In about three-fourths of the cases of GAD, their worry has preceded their depression-and their depression is often a chronic, low-level depression, marked by pessimism, lack of confidence, and difficulty in enjoying things.