ọdịnaya
- 1. Anxiety is concentrated in thoughts, anxiety is concentrated in the body
- 2. Anxiety is associated with specific events, anxiety is often unreasonable
- 3. Anxiety encourages problem solving, anxiety exacerbates them
- 4. Worry has more real grounds than anxiety
- 5. Anxiety is better controlled
- 6. Anxiety does not affect professional and social life, anxiety can take it away
Worrying about current problems is quite natural, such stress allows us to develop. But constant anxiety paralyzes the will and fills with fears. How to distinguish one from the other?
“We often confuse the concepts of “anxiety” and “anxiety”, which reflect psychologically dissimilar situations,” says clinical psychologist Guy Winch. If natural anxiety is evolutionarily necessary for moving forward, then anxiety takes away the taste and interest in life. Let’s try to figure it out.
1. Anxiety is concentrated in thoughts, anxiety is concentrated in the body
Healthy anxiety forces you to analyze a difficult situation in order to make a decision and take action. In the same case, when internal anxiety becomes our constant companion, health begins to suffer.
“We often complain about poor sleep, headaches and joint pain, tremors in the fingers,” says Guy Winch. — Sometimes we feel constant weakness and drowsiness. It turns out to be an eloquent response of our body to the constantly traumatic background of life.
2. Anxiety is associated with specific events, anxiety is often unreasonable
It is quite natural to worry about whether we will have time to get to the airport and not be late for the plane due to traffic jams. As soon as we cope with the task, these thoughts let us go. Anxiety can be associated with the fear of travel itself: flying on an airplane, the need to immerse yourself in a new environment.
3. Anxiety encourages problem solving, anxiety exacerbates them
As a rule, in the process of solving the problem, anxiety decreases, we leave what happened in the past and subsequently talk about it with humor. “Anxiety literally paralyzes us, depriving us of the will and desire to change the situation,” says Guy Winch. “It’s like a running hamster on a wheel, which, no matter how fast it is, always returns to its original point.”
4. Worry has more real grounds than anxiety
Guy Winch puts it this way: “If you’re worried about losing your job because there are major layoffs and your last project wasn’t successful, you have every reason to be concerned. However, if your boss hasn’t asked how your son’s hockey competition went, and you find it a sign of impending dismissal, chances are you’re living with a feeling of constant anxiety.» And your unconscious is only looking for imaginary brushwood to kindle the fire of inner experiences.
5. Anxiety is better controlled
Precisely because it mobilizes our strength and will to act, we are able to control ourselves. Anxiety can bring us into a state where we can no longer control our thoughts. If you do not pay attention to this in time, then the state of anxiety can lead to prolonged depression or panic attacks, which are much more difficult to deal with.
Worrying about how your child will pass the exam will not force you to take sick leave. The state of deep anxiety over time undermines our strength so much that we are not capable of either productive work or full-fledged communication.