Overview Of Worrying Worksheet Template (Page 3 of 12) in pdf

What? Me Worry!?!

One “What if…” question will often play in your mind like a song stuck on repeat, and the words may

sound something like this:

“What if I lose my job?”

“I won’t be able to support my family”

“My family will be so disappointed in me”

“They won’t be able to stand having me around”

“They may leave me”

“I’ll have no one”

“I’ll have nothing”

“I can’t lose my job”

“But there are so many cut backs going on”

“What if I am next?”

Can you see how this worry chain just takes you in circles, leading nowhere particularly productive?

See if you can take an issue that you were once worried about (but is no longer a bother to

you), and use it to write out one of your typical worry chains. What was the first “what if”

thought that came to mind about this issue, and then what did you think next, and next and

so on…

______________________________________________________

Normal or Problem Worry

Research shows we all worry, and we all worry about the same sorts of things. It is how much time we

spend worrying and our difficulty disengaging from worry, which determines whether our worry is

problematic or not. While most people worry and think about negative things from time to time, for the

most part these worrisome thoughts are short-lived, either giving way to a different thought topic popping

into mind or being put to rest by positive problem-solving action. Worry only becomes unhelpful when it is

very frequent and becomes difficult for us to control or disengage from. When this happens we feel

trapped in our own negative thoughts.

What Triggers Worrying?

Worrying can be triggered by various things. Some triggers may be more obvious and linked to external

things, for example:

•

Seeing a certain image (e.g., in the newspaper or on the T.V. news)

•

Hearing certain information (e.g., on the radio or in a conversation)

•

Being put in a certain situation (e.g., having to make decisions, perform a task, lead others)

Some triggers may be less obvious. These may be thoughts or images that seem to just pop into your head

out of the blue. An initial “What if…” question that comes to mind for no apparent reason, can even be a

trigger for worrying. For example, the thought “What if I left the iron on?” might pop into my head. If I

then think “I probably didn’t” and decide not to worry about it, chances are I will forget about it, and the

thought will slip my mind. However, if instead I start to ‘chase’ the thought further (e.g., “the ironing board

might catch fire and that will spread to the whole house”; “the house might burn down and then I will lose

everything!”), then the original “What if…” question has now triggered a worry episode.

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Page 3

Module 2: Overview of Worrying

nterventions

• Psychotherapy • Research • Training

Overview Of Worrying Worksheet Template Page 3

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