One of the things that sets generalized anxiety disorder apart from depression or other emotional challenges is that it seems as though it is more difficult to just "get your mind off of it.
"You can switch gears, you can get your mind on something else, you can distract yourself and you can busy yourself, yet the anxiety symptoms loom over you everywhere you go, no matter what you do.
Sure, sometimes it is worse than other times, but when anxiety attacks spin out of control, it seems as though there is little that can be done to just make them go away.
Most people who have generalized anxiety disorder have a persistent habit of worry.
And people are always telling them, why don't you stop worrying?As if it were just that easy.
As if you can just "flip the worry switch.
"So what exactly is worry, how does it develop and why do some people have such a hard time stopping it?The answer is simple, but not always so easy.
The reason for this is that worry is a habit.
The best way to find relief from your worries and anxiety is to understand the mechanisms of this habit.
When you worry, you are anticipating some event in the future to happen that will have negative (at best) and catastrophic (at worst) consequences.
Often, this thinking pattern was learned from the modeling of a significant guardian.
But it can also develop as the result of negative, frightening or traumatic experiences from one's past.
Sometimes we develop the habit to "expect the worst," so that we will not be let down again.
We feel that this is somehow preparing us, kind of like we are just bracing ourselves, waiting for the next storm or crisis.
Over time, we develop pathways in the brain that become stronger and with these pathways we have created "filters," that make us unable to notice the good.
For example, say we are in a crowded classroom and the teacher calls on us and we have to answer a question in front of 30 other people.
Suppose we speak and 29 of the 30 people in that room nod in agreement and smile at us.
But wait - there is that ONE person, over there on the left side of the room, that (we think) we saw roll their eyes at us and look away with their nose in the air.
Suddenly, this "glimpse" comes to the forefront of our mind and stays with us for the rest of the day and night or longer.
Out of nowhere, it becomes "all we can think about.
"Then starts the negative talk, "This person thinks what I said was stupid.
I should have kept my mouth shut.
"Next thing we know, this goes on and on and on like the tape recordings in our heads that they really are.
It is easy to see in this instance how self-worth plays a major factor in situations such as this.
A person with plenty of confidence would turn that around into, "I wonder what is wrong with THAT person," and forget about it two minutes later and go on their merry way, no worries.
Becoming aware of what is happening here is the first step.
If you suffer from worry and generalized anxiety, notice when you are placing your focus on that one "worst case scenario" and make the decision to look at the other (wonderful and fantastic) 29 things in the room.
"You can switch gears, you can get your mind on something else, you can distract yourself and you can busy yourself, yet the anxiety symptoms loom over you everywhere you go, no matter what you do.
Sure, sometimes it is worse than other times, but when anxiety attacks spin out of control, it seems as though there is little that can be done to just make them go away.
Most people who have generalized anxiety disorder have a persistent habit of worry.
And people are always telling them, why don't you stop worrying?As if it were just that easy.
As if you can just "flip the worry switch.
"So what exactly is worry, how does it develop and why do some people have such a hard time stopping it?The answer is simple, but not always so easy.
The reason for this is that worry is a habit.
The best way to find relief from your worries and anxiety is to understand the mechanisms of this habit.
When you worry, you are anticipating some event in the future to happen that will have negative (at best) and catastrophic (at worst) consequences.
Often, this thinking pattern was learned from the modeling of a significant guardian.
But it can also develop as the result of negative, frightening or traumatic experiences from one's past.
Sometimes we develop the habit to "expect the worst," so that we will not be let down again.
We feel that this is somehow preparing us, kind of like we are just bracing ourselves, waiting for the next storm or crisis.
Over time, we develop pathways in the brain that become stronger and with these pathways we have created "filters," that make us unable to notice the good.
For example, say we are in a crowded classroom and the teacher calls on us and we have to answer a question in front of 30 other people.
Suppose we speak and 29 of the 30 people in that room nod in agreement and smile at us.
But wait - there is that ONE person, over there on the left side of the room, that (we think) we saw roll their eyes at us and look away with their nose in the air.
Suddenly, this "glimpse" comes to the forefront of our mind and stays with us for the rest of the day and night or longer.
Out of nowhere, it becomes "all we can think about.
"Then starts the negative talk, "This person thinks what I said was stupid.
I should have kept my mouth shut.
"Next thing we know, this goes on and on and on like the tape recordings in our heads that they really are.
It is easy to see in this instance how self-worth plays a major factor in situations such as this.
A person with plenty of confidence would turn that around into, "I wonder what is wrong with THAT person," and forget about it two minutes later and go on their merry way, no worries.
Becoming aware of what is happening here is the first step.
If you suffer from worry and generalized anxiety, notice when you are placing your focus on that one "worst case scenario" and make the decision to look at the other (wonderful and fantastic) 29 things in the room.
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