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Is worrying a Behaviour?
Worrying is a form of thinking about the future, defined as thinking about future events in a way that leaves you feeling anxious or apprehensive. Clinically, excessive worry is the primary symptom of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Here’s the takeaway: Worry happens in your mind, stress happens in your body, and anxiety happens in your mind and your body. In small doses, worry, stress and anxiety can be positive forces in our lives. What is Worry? Worry is a common emotion that comes up when we feel uncertain about the future. Unwanted thoughts are one of the most common examples of false anxiety. Often time we as humans tend to be cynical, thinking about worst case scenarios, ‘what if’ thoughts so to speak. We tend to get so caught up in our thoughts that we end up getting trapped by them. Worrying Serves a Purpose “When it comes to worry, that function is pretty clear: It draws our attention to the fact that there’s something we maybe should be doing or preparing for or preventing, and it gives us the motivation to do something about that.” That can lead to some important choices.
Is worrying mental health?
Anxiety can become a mental health problem if it impacts your ability to live your life as fully as you want to. For example, it may be a problem if: your feelings of anxiety are very strong or last for a long time. your fears or worries are out of proportion to the situation. Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you’re very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse. Anxiety happens when a part of the brain, the amygdala, senses trouble. When it senses threat, real or imagined, it surges the body with hormones (including cortisol, the stress hormone) and adrenaline to make the body strong, fast and powerful. Anxiety and depression are types of mood disorders. Among other things, depression causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and reduced energy. Anxiety creates feelings of nervousness, worry, or dread. Although the two conditions are different, you can have both at the same time. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, specific phobias, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder and separation anxiety disorder. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) GAD is the most common type of anxiety disorder. The main symptom of GAD is excessive worrying about different activities and events. You may feel anxious a lot of the time if you have GAD.
Is worrying a mental disorder?
Are you always waiting for disaster to strike or excessively worried about things such as health, money, family, work, or school? If so, you may have a type of anxiety disorder called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD can make daily life feel like a constant state of worry, fear, and dread. Worry is temporary. There’s a concerning situation (like COVID-19) and you worry about it. Worry prods you to use problem-solving skills to address your concerns. Anxiety is persistent, even when concerns are unrealistic. Stress. Daily stressors like traffic jams or missing your train can cause anyone anxiety. But long-term or chronic stress can lead to long-term anxiety and worsening symptoms, as well as other health problems. Stress can also lead to behaviors like skipping meals, drinking alcohol, or not getting enough sleep. Worry is a component of anxiety symptoms You might notice feelings of fear and dread, two examples of the emotional component. You may also notice bodily sensations, such as heart palpitations, sweating, or a tightness in your stomach, which represent the physiological component. If you think worrying has many positive benefits, then you should predict better outcomes on the days you worry, namely that bad things won’t happen, you will be able to cope better, you will solve problems more effectively, you will be more motivated, you will do a better job and get more things done, etc. An example of a practical worry: I have several extra bills this month and I haven’t got enough money to pay them. This makes me anxious because I know that not paying my bills could have consequences.
Can a person stop worrying?
If you’re plagued by exaggerated worry and tension, there are steps you can take to turn off anxious thoughts. Chronic worrying is a mental habit that can be broken. You can train your brain to stay calm and look at life from a more balanced, less fearful perspective. Over time, you can learn to stop ruminating thoughts with healthy coping strategies. Sometimes, rumination and other mental health conditions can lead to unhealthy patterns or coping mechanism, like drug or alcohol use. Nearly half of those with major depression also suffer from severe and persistent anxiety. People who are depressed often feel anxious and worried. One can easily trigger the other, with anxiety often preceding depression. Today, I leave you with this Scripture found in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We may not be able to stop trouble in the world, or trouble in our lives, but one thing we do not have to do is worry about it.