Are you a person who worries too much? When we can’t control this feeling, excessive worry can become a big problem in your life and disrupt your interactions with everyone around you.
With the rush of everyday life, it is very common for us to be constantly worried about things, from family-related problems to even the workplace, where the pressure tends to be greater.
With this in mind, it is important to filter this feeling and, from there, look for alternatives to manage it correctly, without it harming your health and well-being . Next, we’ll explain a little about what excessive worry is and some tips to alleviate it.
Worry: what is it?
Worry does not always mean something negative, on the contrary, it can help boost each person’s life in carrying out tasks and/or even in forming new dreams and plans. Therefore, when this feeling arrives, it is because we care about that particular situation.
According to psychologist Ali, graduated from Dow, worry can also be characterized by several bad feelings, such as distress and anguish, which are represented by some situation that may happen — or not — in the future of each person.
“This something or this situation, for example, is in the future, but the person is feeling it now. Sometimes, the individual keeps finding strategies of what can be done to solve it. In other cases, due to worry, he cannot look at anything he can do”, comments Ali.
According to the psychologist, what makes a person feel extremely worried is the difficulty of thinking and looking at the entire circumstance around them. “Some people are unable to analyze situations, find ways out or even due to the desire for control over everything, looking for solutions that are not always within reach”.
Next, understand the difference between normal worry and excessive worry. How is this feeling in you? Let’s find out!
Normal worry vs. excessive worry: what’s the difference?
Do you know the difference between “normal” worry and excessive worry? As we mentioned before, worry is not always bad: it can represent something important for each person.
“We can represent it as a form of protection. For example: I have to take a test, so I’m worried about whether I’ll do well. Next, I will study hard, that is, I will prepare myself for something important, becoming a self-protection mechanism”, explains the professional.
However, excessive worry stops being a protection for a more compulsive feeling, that is, it is when our head starts looking for reasons in the wrong places, in other words, where there is no problem. “This action can hurt us, as it creates a block in our actions, sometimes generating feelings such as anger, irritation and anxiety.”
In general, excessive worry can affect various areas of life, both personal and professional. Relationships become superficial and day-to-day tasks lose quality. “The difference between normal worry and excessive worry is care, that is, the power to protect ourselves”, he concludes.
How about improving excessive worry right now with some practical tips for your daily life? Continue reading!
3 tips to reduce excessive worry
Now that you know the difference between normal worry and excessive worry, we’ve put together three tips that can help you reduce this feeling.
1 – Identify new strategies
When you come to the conclusion that you are falling into the famous “negative thinking”, try to carry out some alternative activities, such as, for example, writing down on paper what the problems are and looking for solutions to solve them.
“Generally, worried people consider all the negative hypotheses, classifying them as priorities. We can put the possibilities on paper, for example, how much time we have, among other things,” explains the psychologist.
The most important thing is to adopt a new attitude towards situations so as not to sink into this problem or make it even bigger.
2 – Give your mind a rest
Not all problems or projects will be resolved right away, some may take longer, so it is important to embrace yourself when excessive worry appears. Welcome? According to the psychologist, the mind can stop being productive, triggering a lack of concentration or even a creative block.
“When this happens, it’s necessary to accept it. For example, the psychologist recommends lying down in a dark room with low yellow light, playing quiet music, and/or engaging in physical exercises. At this point, keep in mind that you are your top priority.
3 – Set a limit
Have you ever stopped to think about your limit in your life? Understanding and acknowledging that these thoughts and worries exist is the first step to understanding your problem and whether your worry is excessive or not.
When this happens, try to understand and determine the time you have used to focus your energy on these problems.
Therefore, avoid having excessive worries about those situations that will be temporary. To better understand the subject, look for a psychologist to help you combat this feeling which, in many cases, can be negative for your routine.