What To Do When You Can't Stop Worrying
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CAN’T STOP WORRYING
Worrying is a serious problem for many people. If you have a problem with worry, you may experience some of the following:
- Feeling nervous about most situations
- Feeling restless
- Having a difficult time staying focused
- Feeling muscle tightness
- Being short-tempered
- Having trouble sleeping
- Feeling symptoms of panic (racing or pounding heart, trembling, sweaty palms, chest pains or heaviness in the chest, lightheadedness, and other symptoms)
If worry interferes with the quality of your life, you may have an anxiety disorder. You should consider finding a licensed mental health professional to help you understand the problem and recover from it. Depending on your symptoms, you may have one of the following disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, phobia, social phobia, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The most common disorder affecting people who worry is generalized anxiety disorder. It is quite common, affecting an estimated 3 to 4 percent of the population. This disorder fills a person’s life with worry, anxiety, and fear. People who have this disorder are always thinking and dwelling on the "what ifs" of a situation. It feels like there is no way out of the vicious cycle of anxiety and worry. People may become depressed about life and their inability to stop worrying.
People who have generalized anxiety usually do not avoid situations, and they don’t generally have panic attacks. They can become incapacitated by an inability to shut the mind off and are overcome with feelings of worry, dread, lack of energy, and a loss of interest in life. The person usually realizes these feelings are irrational, but the feelings are also very real. The person’s mood can change from hour to hour, or even day to day. Feelings of anxiety and mood swings become a pattern that severely disrupts the quality of life.
People with generalized anxiety disorder often have physical symptoms including headaches, irritability, frustration, trembling, inability to concentrate, and sleep disturbances. They may also have symptoms of social phobia and panic disorder. Please see separate handouts in this series for more specific information on various anxiety disorders.
SO I’M A WORRIER. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
There are many ways to overcome worry. Depending on your specific situation and its causes, you may resolve the problem by trying some of the following suggestions:
- Change the way you think to eliminate irrational thoughts and lessen worry. A cognitive therapist can help you learn to think differently, and for many people this process reduces or eliminates excessive worrying. You can also learn the skills of cognitive therapy by reading the works of David Burns or Aaron Beck (listed at the end of this handout).
- Identify where your fear comes from. By journaling or exploring your thoughts and feelings with a competent therapist, you can trace the origins of your anxious feelings and tendency to worry. Knowing why you worry can help you determine what to do about it.
- Build relationships with others and make use of your support system. Tell people you trust that you are having a problem with worrying and ask them to support you.
- Investigate the possibility of taking medication to manage your anxious feelings. For many people, anxiety is a biochemical condition that responds well to antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication.
- Explore your feelings on your own by writing regularly in a journal.
- Learn relaxation techniques to use when you begin to feel anxious. The "Relaxation Techniques" handout in this series provides some information that may help.
- Listen to relaxing, uplifting music to improve your mood and change your focus to more positive things.
- Do things you enjoy to lighten your mood and to distract yourself. Take a walk through a garden, watch something entertaining on television, go to the movies, read a good book, or play games on the computer. If you enjoy crafts, work on a project. Do other things you consider enjoyable, such as fixing things, working in the garden, sewing, or cooking.
- Look for new interests to get involved in and learn about. This might help you distract yourself from worrying about other things. If you are interested in a sport or want to learn a new skill, sign up for lessons or a class.
- Get professional treatment. Most people who suffer from anxiety disorders begin to feel better when they receive the proper treatment. It can be difficult to identify the correct treatment, however, because each person’s anxiety is caused by a unique set of factors.
Although a treatment plan must be specifically designed for each individual, there are a number of standard approaches. Mental health professionals who specialize in treating anxiety most often use a combination of treatments including cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, systematic desensitization, relaxation training, and medication. There is no single correct approach.
The treatment for an anxiety disorder depends on the severity and duration of the problem. A person’s willingness to actively participate in treatment is also an important factor. When a person who worries excessively is motivated to try new behaviors and practice new skills and techniques, he or she can learn to change the way the brain responds to familiar thoughts and feelings that have previously caused anxiety.
WHERE CAN I GO FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (www.adaa.org).
www.Anxieties.com is a free self-help web site for people with anxiety disorders.
The Anxiety Panic Internet Resource (TAPIR) (www.algy.com)
Anxiety Network (www.anxietynetwork.com).
Beck, Aaron, Emery, Gary, and Greenberg, Ruth. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. New York: Basic Books, 1990.
Burns, David, and Beck, Aaron. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York: Harper- Collins/Wholecare, 1999.
Freeman, Arthur, and DeWolf, Rose. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: Overcoming Regrets, Mistakes, and Missed Opportunities. New York: HarperPerennial Library, 1992.