Why Telling Yourself “Not to Worry” Doesn’t Work

Why Telling Yourself “Not to Worry” Doesn’t Work

Ever told yourself "don't worry" only to find your anxiety levels skyrocketing? Unravel the mystery behind this paradox and explore the psychological mechanisms that make self-reassurance ineffective in quelling worry.

Worry is an attempt to solve an uncertain, and possibly negative, outcome

To stop worrying, one needs to accept worry, and then focus pragmatically on solving the issue the best way possible under the circumstances.

Emotional Elements

Emotionally, worry is most directly related to fear – an evolved set of automatic psychological and physical functions that emerge to guide our behavior when confronted with anxiety.

Working Around Worry

We need to accept worry, acknowledge the stressors and limitations it has imposed on us, and focus pragmatically on achieving the best possible outcomes under the circumstances.

What Exactly Is Worry?

Worry is a chain of thoughts and images, negatively affect-laden and relatively uncontrollable; it represents an attempt to engage in mental problem-solving on an issue whose outcome is uncertain but contains the possibility of one or more negative outcomes.

Cognitive Elements

Intellectually, worry causes us to involuntarily repeat unpleasant and unproductive thoughts, thoughts that do not contribute to effective problem-solving but cyclically feed on themselves.

Source

Get in