Worrying about or not being able to let go of the past may cause or contribute to depression. Worrying about what is not in our control causes anxiety. Worrying about the future, in general, causes anxiety. Worrying to excess about what we cannot control, what may or may not happen in the future can be diagnosed as Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The “what if, what if, what if” problem.
An example is Vicki. Vicki worries about almost everything she hears. She worries her daughter is doing too much, she worries her son isn’t satisfied in his marriage, she worries her grandchildren are falling behind in school, she worries that she will be late when she goes somewhere, she worries that something is wrong with her car, she worries that plans won’t work out, etc. Basically, Vicki worries all day and all night. In the Covid-19-time Vicki is worrying about her family’s health, she is worried about her daughter needing to go the Dr., she is worried someone she knows will become ill. If a family member does not call for a few days she worries something has happened to him or her.
Vicki came to see me because she could not sleep due to worrying excessively. She worried so much she had difficulty focusing on anything she needed to do. I diagnosed her with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Worrying about, “what if, what if, what if” can be Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I worked with Vicki to look at what she can control and what she cannot. We worked on some Cognitive Behavioral techniques, such as how to change her thoughts, and some relaxation skills (breathing, meditation, butterfly hug). I taught her to think about the percentage of chance of what she was worrying about happening. If it is a low probability, she is wasting her energy worrying about it. We worked on letting go of what she was worried about that may never happen. After a few sessions, Vicki reported great improvement and more positive energy freed up because of letting go of some of her worries.
This is a simple chart that helps us to understand what is in our control and what is not. By understanding this we can take the first step to less worry and focus on what is in our control: Ourselves!
An example is Vicki. Vicki worries about almost everything she hears. She worries her daughter is doing too much, she worries her son isn’t satisfied in his marriage, she worries her grandchildren are falling behind in school, she worries that she will be late when she goes somewhere, she worries that something is wrong with her car, she worries that plans won’t work out, etc. Basically, Vicki worries all day and all night. In the Covid-19-time Vicki is worrying about her family’s health, she is worried about her daughter needing to go the Dr., she is worried someone she knows will become ill. If a family member does not call for a few days she worries something has happened to him or her.
Vicki came to see me because she could not sleep due to worrying excessively. She worried so much she had difficulty focusing on anything she needed to do. I diagnosed her with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Worrying about, “what if, what if, what if” can be Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I worked with Vicki to look at what she can control and what she cannot. We worked on some Cognitive Behavioral techniques, such as how to change her thoughts, and some relaxation skills (breathing, meditation, butterfly hug). I taught her to think about the percentage of chance of what she was worrying about happening. If it is a low probability, she is wasting her energy worrying about it. We worked on letting go of what she was worried about that may never happen. After a few sessions, Vicki reported great improvement and more positive energy freed up because of letting go of some of her worries.
This is a simple chart that helps us to understand what is in our control and what is not. By understanding this we can take the first step to less worry and focus on what is in our control: Ourselves!
