Worry keeps the mind captive.
It is the human use of language that allows worry to occur
We live in a world which is forever changing. Change or the anticipation of change can lead to worrying and anxiety which are often related. Anxiety can manifest in many ways, including persistent, excessive worrying.
Worry and anxiety usually starts with a small concern. With thinking this concern may grow or change.
Positive outcomes of worry
* Positive worry can motivate, lead to problem solving.
* Productive worry, helps you solve problems.
Negative outcomes of worry
* Unproductive worry leads to solution-less rumination.
* Negative worry can inactivate and overwhelm
* Thinking creates emotions and feelings.
* Negative thoughts fill the mind, these in turn, limits other ways of thinking.
* Judgments may be made on imagined issues
* Action may follow those judgments
Now there are two things on the worry list. The initial worry leads to action. Another worry may then occur about the choice and the following action
Use the following, copy out those applying to you. This becomes part of your work in progress. Make your check list. Note any which apply to you. Add to the list if you identify other worries which you have.
Give each a rating of 1-10 where 1 is a small concern and 10 is overwhelming.
Intolerance for uncertainty:
“If I think about this enough, I should feel a sense of certainty.”
Intolerance for discomfort:
“If I can just think this through, I won’t have to feel this way.”
Inflated sense of culpability:
“If bad things happen, it is my fault.”
Distorted risk assessments/emotional reasoning:
“If it feels likely, it is likely. If it feels dangerous, it is dangerous.”
Perfectionism about mistakes:
“Mistakes mean I screwed up because I was not in control.”
Pessimism/presumed incapability:
“Bad things will happen to me and I will not be able to deal with it.”
Misconstrued virtue:
“Worry shows how deeply I care about my children.”
Overvaluation of the thought process:
“Because I have a thought, it is important and I must give it my full attention.”
Below are some other ways of thinking about worry. Worries are a not a personal weakness. Worries are not a test of strength or religious faith. Worries are a byproduct of life’s changes.
Worry as a warning Worry rarely saves us from anything. Most things we worry about are unlikely events. The bad things that happen to us are rarely anticipated through worry and rarely allow us any control. A compelling worry is still just a thought that will pass.
Challenge your distorted risk assessments: “Am I overestimating the risk?” “Yes, it feels likely, but how likely is it really?”
Remind yourself about the transient nature of worries: “Will this even matter to me next year, or even next week?”
Reassurance seeking Frequently seeking reassurance (e.g., searching the Internet, checking your body, repeated consultation) often stimulates more worry and doubt. The brief relief provided by reassurance only perpetuates the worry cycle.
Use “investigating” on the Internet as a guide in managing a worry. Be ready to trial way of managing until you find what works for you..
Worry suppression Controlling thoughts is the problem, not the solution. What we resist persists. We think about what we are striving not to think about. Do not try to eliminate your worries. Worried thoughts can be accepted as background noise without being actively engaged.
Learn mindfulness meditation. Learning to be in the moment, focusing on your breathing and accepting the contents of your thoughts, can gradually ameliorate worry as you become more skilled. Skills come with practice.
The fallacy that worries need immediate attention This only perpetuates the worry cycle. Strive to experience your worries “on the clock” rather than whenever they intrude and upset you.
Sometimes make a written list. It takes the worry out of the mind and onto the list which can be used to jot solutions.
Give your worries your full attention during set times during the day. When worries intrude at other times, try to defer them until your next scheduled worry period.
Seeking control and certainty . If a worry does not call for action ), it is likely to be merely noise, not a signal. Learn to challenge your quest for certainty and control. Notice the many uncertainties and things you cannot control throughout the day, and practice mindful acceptance of each.
Bodily tension; anxious arousal When you attend to worried thoughts, your body will respond with tension, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. When you accept worries as “just thinking,” your body will respond accordingly.
Relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing skills can buffer bodily tension. Discover what calms you, (e.g., massage, yoga, exercise, music, a hot bath, journaling, prayer etc ,).
Taking action; How excessive worrying can be managed
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Mindfulness, Ellis CBT helps with acceptance that worrying is irrational and counter productive. It serves no purpose, heightens anxiety, and does nothing to prevent that which we worry about from taking place.
Steps to manage worry
* Our thoughts are not facts.
Understand that a thought is just a thought.
Instead of dwelling on your thoughts or trying to make them stop, disengage from them. “You can think of them as you would junk mail, telemarketers, or Internet pop-up ads – they’re annoying but unimportant.”
Accept these thoughts, letting them float by.
Secondary thoughts – such as “I shouldn’t be thinking this” – should be challenged. Write these thoughts down, evaluate them and determine if they’re accurate and helpful. If not, he says, disregard them.
* Catastrophizing
Explore your worry thoughts by answering these questions: “What’s the thing I most fear will happen? If this happened, what awful thing would it mean about me or my life? Why would this be so terrible?”
Write down your responses verbatim. Then define each term. For instance, you might include words like “lost” or “failure.” What do these mean to you? (They likely mean different things to different people.)
If you’re not sure about your core worries, try an exercise called the “downward arrow.” On a piece of paper, draw an arrow on the left side. At the top of the page, write down your most distressing thought. Then ask yourself: “And this would be a terrible thing because it means what?”
Write down your response. Then ask the same exact question. Keep asking this question (and writing down your thoughts) until a theme emerges.
* Revise the worry thought.
Anxiety – and worrisome thoughts – can make us feel very small. But the empowering thing is that we can change these distressing thoughts. Here’s how:
• Write down the “evidence for” and the “evidence against” your thought. Try to be objective.
• Is there another perspective? Sometimes the evidence will be mixed. But is there a sliver lining? A lesson to be learned? An opportunity?
• If your fear is true or if it does occur, would it be a problem in a year or in five years? “It’s important to keep problems, losses, and setbacks in perspective. Don’t magnify their significance.”
• What action can you take to resolve the issue? Make a specific, concrete plan. Write the steps you’ll take to avoid the problem or manage it.
By
using one of the many on line forms you can compare yourself with others.
By repeating the questionnaire at a later date it can be a guide to progress.
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________
The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)
Instructions: Rate each of the following statements on a scale of 1 (“not at all typical of me”) to 5 (“very
typical of me”). Please do not leave any items blank.
1. If I do not have enough time to do everything, I do not worry about it. 1 2 3 4 5
2. My worries overwhelm me. 1 2 3 4 5
3. I do not tend to worry about things. 1 2 3 4 5
4. Many situations make me worry. 1 2 3 4 5
5. I know I should not worry about things, but I just cannot help it. 1 2 3 4 5
6. When I am under pressure I worry a lot. 1 2 3 4 5
7. I am always worrying about something. 1 2 3 4 5
8. I find it easy to dismiss worrisome thoughts. 1 2 3 4 5
9. As soon as I finish one task, I start to worry about everything else I have to do. 1 2 3 4 5
10. I never worry about anything. 1 2 3 4 5
11. When there is nothing more I can do about a concern, I do not worry about it any more. 1 2 3 4 5
12. I have been a worrier all my life. 1 2 3 4 5
13. I notice that I have been worrying about things. 1 2 3 4 5
14. Once I start worrying, I cannot stop. 1 2 3 4 5
15. I worry all the time. 1 2 3 4 5
16. I worry about projects until they are all done. 1 2 3 4 5
Scoring the PSWQ
In scoring the PSWQ, a value of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is assigned to a response
depending upon whether the item is worded positively or negatively. The total score
of the scale ranges from 16 to 80.
Items 1, 3, 8, 10, 11 are reverse scored as follows:
• Very typical of me = 1 (circled 5 on the sheet)
• Circled 4 on the sheet = 2
• Circled 3 on the sheet = 3
• Circled 2 on the sheet = 4
• Not at all typical of me = 5 (circled 1 on the sheet)
For items 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 the scoring is:
• Not at all typical of me = 1
• Ratings of 2, 3, and 4 are not transformed
• Very typical of me = 5
Citation: Meyer TJ, Miller ML, Metzger RL, Borkovec TD: Development and
Validation of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Behavior Research
and Therapy 28:487-495,1990
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