When Worry Becomes a Problem

The line between “worry wart” and “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” can be a thin one. Apart from worrying about a lot of things, 2 important questions are: 1) Is the worry causing you a lot of distress? and 2) Does the worry impact your ability to get things done and show up with the people that matter to you?

When you have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), you tend to have a brain that’s an excellent problem-spotter. In fact, it’s so good, that it never turns it off.

You can think of GAD as an overactive alarm system. Imagine a car alarm that goes off with the slightest breeze. Sure, it’ll alert you to the big stuff, but it’s also going to drain it’s battery from always going off.

People with a lot of worry tend to be set off by the tiniest hints of uncertainty. “What if I said the wrong thing?” “What if something bad happens?”sets off the same internal alarm as a real emergency.

The more someone worries, checks, reassures themselves, or avoids uncertainty, the more their brain stays stuck in threat mode. It’s like carrying an umbrella everywhere, just in case it rains. Over time, that umbrella gets annoying, but your brain can’t put it down. It whispers “what if it rains?”

That’s why the primary treatment, CBT, helps you respond differently to worry so that it no longer controls your life. You’ll learn how to get more comfortable with uncertainty and turn off the “DANGER!” signals that keep misfiring. And, most importantly, you’ll move towards things that matter, not letting fear slam on the breaks.

If worry is running your days, give us a call to see results in as little as 12 sessions.