What if you could get a handle on the worry and anxiety you experience?
Welcome to the first weekly reading series of the new year! I hope you have been able to find guidance in the previous year from these weekly blog posts, and my hope is that you continue to find that guidance as we move forward in my book! Let’s work through our anxieties and worries together.
What if you could get a handle on the worry and anxiety you experience on a day-to-day basis so you felt it only occasionally? How would that change your life? Worry and anxiety are commonly felt by most of us, yet to varying degrees. While we tend to use these words as if they are interchangeable, there are differences to note.
Worry is primarily focused on anticipating negative events in the future. The purpose of worry is to cope with the anticipated threat, yet worry is linked to avoidance, specifically, with thoughts directed at:
- preventing or avoiding bad or negative events from happening
- helping someone prepare for the worst if the feared event is unavoidable
- preventing emotional processing, thus maintaining anxious thinking
- reinforcing superstitious thinking style – worriers think that worry is effective
because a concerning event did not occur - distracting from emotionally charged topics.
Constant worry about what you believe you may have to face in the future, or alternatively about past negative events (including reliving what you said or did), is disruptive. As anyone who has experienced any form of anxiety can tell you, prolonged worry actually interferes with your daily activities and saps your ability to enjoy everyday life. Not only are you tempted to give in to it, but worry and ongoing anxiety sure can take a lot out of you. The continuous looping of thoughts, with no end in sight, can be emotionally and physically draining.
Going forward in future blogs, I’ll be talking about a variety of strategies to handle worry and anxiety. I’ll be eager to hear how you apply these strategies and incorporate them in your life.
This weeks questions:
If you are a person that would describe yourself as anxious or a worrier, what do you think might really be going on underneath that worry?
I’d love for you to respond on my facebook group if you feel comfortable!!
Join my group on Facebook LOVE MY LIFE and let me know. Feel free to share my series with your friends or colleagues as well!
To A Life You Love,
Dr. Joan Rosenberg
I’m anxious about my waning ability to stay on top of getting my tasks done, and getting “found out” that my problem solving, task focus and loss of joy in life will be found out. How does this impact my relationship with my husband and maintaining friendships