An Introduction to Coping with Anxiety by Brenda Hogan

Author:Brenda Hogan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472140234
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Challenging positive beliefs about worry

Most people who experience troublesome anxiety easily recognise that they worry too much. However, sometimes people may believe that there might be good things about worrying – we call these positive beliefs about worrying. For example, you might believe that worrying helps prepare you for problems, or that it protects you from experiencing negative emotions down the road, or even that it ‘protects’ you in some way from bad things happening. Positive beliefs about worrying may be hard to recognise. In fact, most people who do believe that worrying is useful or has some beneficial purpose don’t even realise they hold these beliefs – until they take a closer look.

If you hold positive beliefs about worrying, it will very difficult to reduce or stop worrying. This makes sense, if you think about it. Why would you want to give up worrying if it serves some sort of useful purpose? It is therefore very important to identify positive beliefs about worrying – if you do hold these and don’t do anything to change them, it will be hard to stop worrying.

Common positive beliefs about worrying are:

• Worrying helps me solve problems.

• Worrying helps me cope.

• If I worry, I can prevent bad things from happening.

• If I worry, I won’t tempt fate.

• If I worry, I will be prepared.

• Worrying can prevent me from experiencing negative emotions in the future.

• Worrying means that I am a caring person.

Ask yourself: Are there any reasons why I shouldn’t give up worrying completely? What are the reasons? What might happen if I do stop worrying?’

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