Anxiety and thinking
In this section, we look at what people think. One of the most common phrases is :
"What if...........?"
- "What if I lose the job? How will we cope?"
- "What if the waiting room is busy when I get there?"
- "What if I meet someone I know? What will I say?"
When stress gets high, anxiety (an emotion) overwhelms your common sense. This floods your mind with worry and clouds your thoughts. You may hear your common sense voice saying:
'Calm down, I don't need to worry about this. There is no need to be uptight'.
But you can't act on it because the emotion is too strong. You often feel you have lost, or are about to lose, control. Later on, once the flood of anxiety dies down, your common sense gets back in charge. Then you can get your thoughts back in balance.
Common anxious thoughts
| Worrying too much | Fear of illness/disease |
| Fear of making a fool of yourself | Fear of death |
| Fear of madness | Fear of losing control |
| Loss of self-confidence | Nightmares |
| Fear of making mistakes | Fear of being alone |
| Not able to assert yourself | Fear of meeting people |
| Fear of challenges | Fear of being criticised |
| Loss of interest in sex | Fear of being rejected |
| Feeling tense | Loss of interest |
| Poor concentration | Easily embarrassed |
| Afraid to face the day | Easily confused / flustered |
| Feeling cut-off from the world | Feeling of impending doom |
| Feeling self-conscious | Irritation |
| Mind going blank | Easily startled / on edge |
| Feeling keyed up/on edge | Not able to relax |
| Forgetful | Self-criticism |
| Too concerned about cleaning / checking | Feeling that no-one understands you |
Some of the more common themes of worry are:
Health
Either your own or your family's health. Worry about heart disease, cancer, strokes and mental illness are common.
Money
Though money may well be a big problem for many of us, you know you worry far too much about it.
Work
You may worry about losing your job or coping with your work-mates or boss. You may worry that you will be 'found out' as you think you are not up to the job.
Family
You may worry that you are a bad parent; that something bad will happen to your son when he is out with friends. You may worry about your partner's health and well-being.
Everyday concerns
You may worry about the state of the house in case a friend drops in. You may worry about being late to see the doctor. You may worry that the car will need a lot of repairs, etc.
The thing to note is that all of us worry about these things at some time. It is not the fact that you worry. It is that:
- You worry too much
- You can't stop the worry no matter how hard you try
- You worry about being worried
Bear in mind that the way you think when you are anxious is not just the result of anxiety but a major reason for it staying alive.
