Are You a "Worrywart"?
Most people use the term worrywart to characterize a person who tends to worry habitually and often needlessly. Perhaps as you read this, you can think of someone you would describe in this way. Or maybe, you have been referred to as a worrywart. Psychologists describe worrying as a chain of negative thoughts and images which is largely uncontrollable. Often worry represents an attempt to solve a problem in which the outcome is uncertain and has the possibility of one or more negative consequences (Hoyer et al., 2009).
The world we live in today has so many fundamental issues for us to worry about, with one overriding concern: the pandemic. However, when we spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about situations outside of our control, we’re putting our mental health at risk. Persistent negative thoughts consume our attentional resources, resulting in being “stuck” inside our head. This “stuckness” is a significant problem because it interferes with our attention and concentration, associated with increased distress.
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When we are locked inside our heads, our thoughts can be conceptualized in two ways:
Worry – often future-focused
Rumination – a tendency to be past or present-focused and involves a self-appraisal of ourselves.
People often ask why being present or in the moment reduces stress and anxiety. The straightforward explanation is that most stress and worries come from thinking about what happened in the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. For example, we have all had a time when something negative happened. Maybe it was something relatively minor, like when someone was abrupt with us or we were harsh with someone else. Later, we replay this situation repeatedly in our minds until it takes on all sorts of different meanings. Each time we think of it, we get more and more upset. The same thing happens when we project into the future all sorts of consequences from not making a deadline or making a mistake. We automatically assume the worst. More mindful individuals may be better able to focus on the smaller joys present in everyday life, instead of the considerable unknowns associated with living through a global pandemic. In other words, being present will help you get “unstuck” and see the blessing of the day.
Reference
Hoyer, J., Beesdo, K., Gloster, A. T., Runge, J., Höfler, M., & Becker, E. S. (2009). Worry exposure versus applied relaxation in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78(2), 106-115.