{"id":59854,"date":"2018-09-18T19:09:49","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T03:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=59854"},"modified":"2018-09-25T20:51:08","modified_gmt":"2018-09-26T04:51:08","slug":"do-you-worry-too-much-4-worrying-mistakes-you-should-stop-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/do-you-worry-too-much-4-worrying-mistakes-you-should-stop-making\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you worry too much? 4 Worrying Mistakes You Should Stop Making"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you worry too much?<\/p>\n

According to the Anxiety and Depression American Association (ADAA<\/a>) almost 40 million American adults — one-fifth of the population— suffer from chronic worrying and other anxiety disorders which makes them the most common mental illness in the U.S.<\/p>\n

This has lots of reasons, too much technology, insomnia and sleep deprivation, loneliness and the lack of proper communication, especially among teens. But I`m not here today to talk causes. I`m here to list the four common mistakes that people make when trying to handle worrying and anxiety, according to the experts.<\/p>\n

Worry Mistake #1: Seeking unattainable certainty and control<\/h1>\n

Experts believe there are two things that cause anxiety more than anything else: lack of control, and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cUncertainty is anxiety\u2019s archenemy. It is the primary spring from which worry and apprehension flow, so much so that we can think of anxiety itself as a drive to eliminate uncertainty,\u201d writes Taylor Clark in Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool.<\/a><\/p>\n

More certainty = Less worrying<\/p>\n

However, there`s one pitfall to this\u2026 It`s called the excessive strive for certainty.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You may think that the key to reducing worrying is to seek more certainty about the thing you`re afraid of. This is correct to a certain degree. If your son isn`t home yet and he`s not responding to your calls then you may seek certainty by calling one of his friends. But if the voice in your head keeps telling you that you`re gonna have cancer trying to fake certainty over something in the future will make you worry even more.<\/p>\n

Here`s what Michael J. Dugas, the Professor of Psychology at the University of Quebec says about this topic: \u201cMost of the problems that chronic worriers deal with are caused by their refusal to accept the possibility of a negative event happening in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

And here`s what Clark also says, \u201cCertainty and control, then, are something of a mixed blessing. We\u2019re less anxious when we feel we have them, yet seeking them when they\u2019re not feasible \u2014trying to control the uncontrollable or find total certainty in an uncertain world \u2014will only make things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Worry Mistake #2: Suppressing your worries<\/h1>\n

\u201cWorrying actually mutes emotional expression, which makes it tougher for us to overcome a fear. It seems to act as a mental buffer against facing what troubles you\u201d says Clark.<\/p>\n

Studies found that our bodily arousal level drops as we begin to worry so it makes sense that you communicate your worries to other people, or even to yourself instead of keeping them under the hood. Call somebody, keep a journal or simply talk loudly to yourself.<\/p>\n

According to several Navy studies, talking loudly to themselves is what SEALS use to overcome stress, tough missions and, of course, fear.<\/p>\n

Worry Mistake #3: Thinking rather than doing<\/h1>\n

\u201cFear springs from the subconscious amygdala, not the thinking cortex, so trying to think your way out of feeling afraid is like using a hammer to twist in a screw,\u201d says the New York University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux.<\/p>\n

The best possible way to reduce your worries is to move from thinking to doing to stop the thinking loop. Easier said than done, I know. But there are some useful techniques you can use to think less about what bothers you\u2026<\/p>\n