Everyone at some point we care for a reason. It is normal that Let's be alert to the things that surround us and especially to those that matter to us. Worry is something natural and practically instinctive in humans. It is a normal response to situations or events that disturb us. However, the excessive worry because of the things that may or may not happen to us, it becomes a problem. It is the strategy less effective if we want to solve a problem.
What is excessive worry?
Worry, and more specifically, excessive worry or pathological concernis one of the most studied psychological processes. Its study is due to the fact that it is a psychological variable which, together with the tendency to emotional avoidancecontributes to the initiation or maintenance of various emotional disorders. Especially the commonly known one, anxiety disorder.
Worry is an action or normal trend in people. In fact, more than 38% of the population worries at least once a day, according to a study by Tallis, Davey and Cappuzo. After all, it is an attempt to avoid negative events or prepare for the worst when we see a problem arise in our life.
The concern is focused on the negative consequencess of the event. It is usually represented through questions that we ask ourselves, such as “what if it happens?”, “what would happen if it happened?” or “can I do something to prevent it?”
The phenomenon of excessive worry is characterized, as its name indicates, by being excessive. In addition to persistent and unjustifiedIt is persistent because it does not go away and excessive because it is greater than the “normal” concern that most people would feel in the same situation.
Excessive worry is classified as unjustified because It is not proportionalThat is, the person who suffers from this problem is aware of it and that he or she is exaggerating it. Despite this, he or she cannot avoid it because he or she believes that he or she cannot control it. As a consequence of this, feelings of restlessness, anxiety and stress appear.
At this time our ability to control emotions is out of control. Because of this, our anxiety increases. emotional discomfortIt is quite contradictory since with excessive worry the person seeks emotional relief. However, the only thing he/she gets is to be harmed increasingly.
If you feel that excessive worry may be taking over your life, it may be time to contact an online psychologist.
Try a free session
Learn to worry less and take care of your mental health with the help of a professional psychologist
Make an appointment
Are there different types of concerns?
Worrying excessively about everything causes a list of different types of worries to be created.
- Concerns about past events. People who worry excessively about things have a habit of bringing the past into the present. This causes them to relive their pain. Constantly thinking about the past is not going to make what happened change. It's not about forgetting it, but accepting that it's there. Move on with your life and live in the present.
- Concerns about the future. We cannot control the future and this causes worry. The person is afraid and lives with uncertainty. In fact, they live anticipating future events from a negative perspective. In other words, they try to control the future by anticipating it negatively. This worry does not allow them to live and enjoy the present.
- Concern that does not depend on the person. When the worry does not depend on the person, you will not achieve any solution by worrying about them. The only thing you will achieve is to increase their discomfort.
- Concern about what has no solution. This is a useless worry. The person will never be able to solve the problem because there is no solution. Going around in circles about something that can no longer be fixed is a waste of time and hurting yourself.
What consequences can excessive worry have?
There are people who worry excessively about everything. About things that really don't matter. no kind of importance and they are trivia. These people want to stop worrying about everything, but feel that they can't. This can mean problems in school performance or student in general, in the labor productivity or even in the person's social life.
Excessive worrying causes you a physical and mental fatigue huge, that is, you consumes energyBeing constantly anxious leads to a loss of the strength you need for your daily life.
In addition, keeping your mind busy all the time with negative thoughts about problems, whether real or not, creates a enormous tirednessExcessive worrying in turn causes a change in character since the person becomes much more irritable and lives with greater tension.
The consequences of constant and excessive worry occur in two levels. First of all, to psychological levelHere, worry affects the individual, causing fatigue or a feeling of tiredness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, restlessness and impatience. In addition, there are feelings of loss of control over one's thoughts, which leads to sleep problems. All of this leads to a high level of nervousness.
Finally, these subjects tend to avoid places, topics either people so that they cannot cause them any kind of worry since anything that anyone else sees, does or says will affect them excessively, even if they do not want it.
Secondly, we find the physical consequencesThese conditions or problems can arise from the psychological consequences themselves. These include muscle pain and tension. Our immune system's protection levels become more vulnerable. And an increase in heart rate and breathing can occur, a symptom that is closely related to high levels of stress and anxiety.
Why is it hard to stop worrying?
People who worry excessively pretend avoid problems and complex situations. That's why they are always thinking about the worst and preparing for it. In this way, according to them, they already have Possible solutions prepared to face a supposed problem.
Because they believe that they are protecting themselves in this way, they are unable to change their habit of excessive worrying. To end this problem and the associated anxiety and stress, it is necessary to stop thinking that constant worrying is a positive act. Excessive worry is not the solution but the problem.
There are a number of keys to avoiding excessive worry:
- Live in the present. We often get stuck in the past because of something that happened but that we can no longer change. We feel guilty and worry about something that has already happened. We must live in the present and enjoy what it offers us. Focus on what you are doing now.
- Assume that the worst can happen. Life has its good and bad things. Sometimes unpleasant things can happen that cause our lives to take a radical turn. Even so, we have to know that we will get through it and we can bear it.
- Analyze all possible solutions that exist. Not all problems are the same and therefore do not have a single solution. We must analyse what solutions there are to solve a problem. This way it will be easier for us to deal with it.
- Keeping time busy. Keeping your mind occupied with things other than your worries will help keep the monsters away. Do activities that help you distract yourself and that you enjoy doing.
- Be consistent with the probabilities. You must learn to deal with probabilities. You must not confuse a possible event with a probable event, since they are far from being the same.
Worry excessively for things alone It will bring you problems to you. It will generate a psychological discomfort which will probably develop in a physical discomfortIf you feel like you can't control your worry about things, that everything worries you excessively, ask a mental health professional for help.
At we are experts in online therapy and we have been helping patients from all over the world to find their well-being since 2012. Through online therapy, it will help you control that instinct of continuous worry. It will teach you a series of mechanisms so that you learn to face problems on your own and control uncertainty.
To date, more than 1,600 people have put themselves in our hands to find. If you also want to try our services, you can request a First session free by clicking the button below.