'Worry gives a small thing a big shadow'
Swedish proverb
Three am in the morning and thinking about blogging. I must be a Bloggerholic, right? Well, yes and no. I conceived the idea for this post early this morning as a consequence of my experience. Something woke me up at three and from that point I couldn't get back to sleep. My brain was in overdrive. I was thinking about school issues, family concerns, finances, work...you name it, my brain was processing it like a Red Bull intoxicated hamster on a wheel. Worry, worry, worry. Something that we all deal with from time to time.
Worry has been defined as 'a chain of thoughts and images, negatively affect-laden and relatively uncontrollable; representing an attempt to engage in mental problem-solving on an issue whose outcome is uncertain but contains the possibility of one of more negative outcomes' (Borkovec, Robinson, Pruzinsky, & DePree, 1983, p. 10). My early morning thoughts? Uncontrollable? Yep. Negative? Guilty as charged.
Worry can be a perfectly normal experience. Yet worry is also a key diagnostic feature of DSM-IV Generalised Anxiety Disorder and is also common in other psychological disorders. What differentiates normal worry from pathological worry? At what point does worry become a problem in itself?
It can be argued that worrying brings benefits. When I'm lying there at 3am, thinking things through, is it helping me to avoid future problems by working out possible solutions? I admit I'm one of those 'what if?' individuals, who like to think through every potential outcome from a situation. From that point of view, worry could be deemed to be beneficial process, preparing me to cope with whatever comes my way. Others might believe worry helps them be organised and make less mistakes.
Is it what we worry about that's important? Apparently not. It's the way we think about our worry. Worry is more likely to be more problematic where the worrisome thoughts seem excessive, uncontrollable and harder to resolve (Craske, Rapee, Jackel, & Barlow, 1989). Chronic worriers worry about worrying: they fear worrying may make them sick, that their worries may end up controlling them, that they might go mad because they can't stop or ignore their worries.
There are a number of strategies that we can use when worrying seems to be out of control. Like most things, they require practice.
Note worry
It's important to notice when we're worrying and to take action early.
The use of worry periods
This involves setting up a 30 minute worry period to take place at the same time (not close to bedtime!) and place each day. If you catch yourself worrying outside of this period, you remind yourself of the worry period and postpone the worry until then (write it down if you think you might forget), returning to current moment experiences. The 30 minute worry period should then be used to think about your concerns and engage in problem-solving. The worry period challenges any concern that worry is uncontrollable and, with time, can help reduce both the frequency and duration of worry episodes.
Changing the way we think about our worries
Examine the nature of your worrying thoughts. What do they concern? What underlying evidence exists for them? What is the likelihood of them happening? Could you handle that? What can you do to minimise any impact? Asking such questions allows you to discover that you would have ways of coping with the event if it happens. The answers to these questions can be used to create alternative ways of thinking about the worries. Note them down next to your worries. Then whenever a specific worry pops up, remind yourself of the newer, more adaptive thoughts you generated.
Use relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques including imagery, progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises may prove helpful.
Seeking professional help
The strategies above may prove to be helpful but can take considerable practice. Of course, no strategy works for everyone. Moreoer, if worry is associated with conditions such as anxiety or depression or remains uncontrollable and distressing, it may be advisable to seek professional help for a more comprehensive approach.
Resources
Borkovec, T., Robinson, E., Pruzinsky, T., & DePree, J. (1983). Preliminary exploration of worry: Some characteristics and processes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21, 9-16. (Abstract)
Craske, M., Rapee, R., Jackel, L., & Barlow, D. (1989). Qualitative dimensions of worry in DSM-III-R generalised anxiety disorder subjects and nonanxious controls. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 27, 397-402. (Abstract)
