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It's a good thing that
almost all of us worry.
Think of worry as a built-in alarm
device. When it is used wisely, it alerts
us to danger and prompts us to navigate
our way through a maze of solutions to
life's various problems. We need to think
through our options when we are faced
with problems, weighing the benefits
and pitfalls of each alternative, and
then come up with the best solution. From there we take
action which, we hope, solves the problem. Worry is helpful
when it is used at the right time and at the right level for
resolving our difficulties. Like many things in life, however,
too little worry, or too much of it, can be harmful.
Too little worry can result in
impulsive decisions which may result in unfortunate consequences. Indeed,
some people are high risk-takers who may not worry enough about problems - they may
win, but just as often, they lose. Others avoid worry through substance abuse or other
addictive behavior and then lack the motivation and insight to deal realistically with life's
expected problems.
As we all know, some people worry too much. Rather
than solving a problem, too much worry becomes
the problem. Not only does excessive worry create much
personal suffering, but it also affects the people around
the worrier. Worry is a fairly common, but potentially
serious, condition. A recent survey suggests that one-third of all office visits to primary-care physicians are
associated with some form of anxiety.
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Furthermore, it
has been estimated that one-fourth of all people, over the
course of a lifetime, will at some point suffer from
symptoms associated with an anxiety-related diagnosis.
The stress which accompanies worry can have serious
physical implications, including an increased risk for
blood pressure and heart ailments, immune system deficiencies and cancer.
Most people who worry excessively are well aware
of their tendencies, although some simply view it
as their normal state of affairs. (Indeed, some people like
to worry because they feel that their mind is more active
and worry allows them to feel more in touch with their
inner experience.) The worrier is one who feels in jeopardy but believes that he or she lacks the ability to take
action in the real world to solve the problem. Some people who worry feel that if only they can think the
problem through repetitively, sometimes day after day, the
problem will magically disappear. And many people
worry about things they have no control over anyway. In
truth, excessive worry does not solve problems - which
are actually cleared up by considering real options and
then taking action. Worriers harbor their problems in
their imagination and often cannot find a way to break
free to the stage of taking action.
Many treatable conditions are associated
with worry. For some people, worry is
simply a habit or an entrenched way of dealing with life's conflicts. But for others it is a
symptom of an underlying condition which
may be amenable to psychotherapeutic
and/or medication intervention, such as:
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