Transcript Worry Control - University of Cincinnati

Worry Control
Counseling Center, UC
Worrying occasionally is common
and nothing to “worry” about!
Worrying frequently can
interrupt your socializing,
studying, working, and other
activities.
Understanding worry
• What is worry?
• What are common examples of worry?
• Why do people worry?
• Is there a difference between useful worry
and useless worry?
• How can you control worry?
Anxiety
• Worry is a cognitive, or mental, form of anxiety
• According to Aaron Beck, founder of Cognitive
Therapy, anxiety serves to maintain our
“survival, growth…”
• Anxiety is a natural reaction to fear, danger,
complex events, and the unpredictability of the
future.
Common examples of worry
• You worry that you are losing a friend.
• You worry that you are not doing well in
school.
• You worry that you might lose your job.
What about you?
• What are some of the things you worry
about? Be specific.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Why worry?
Sometimes, worrying can help. It directs you to
focus on how you can “resolve problems and
anticipate and prepare for future events”
(Sanderson, 1992).
For example:
You worry that you won’t do well on your
exam.
• The worry tells you to prepare—read, study, ask
questions….
Useful worry
• “Worry can serve a very adaptive function
by helping us to prepare or problem-solve
and decide upon ways of coping with
upcoming difficult situations….”
(Craske et al.)
Useful worry vs. useless worry
• Worrying is useful when:
– You are able to control the worry rather than
letting it control you.
– It is a signal for you to start problem-solving
or searching for a solution.
– It gets you thinking about a plan.
– It leads to a productive outcome.
Worrying is useless when…
• You repeat the same worries over and
over (ruminating).
• It takes up a lot of your time and energy.
• You overestimate bad things happening.
• You always predict the worst outcome.
• It causes physical problems like head or
stomach aches, difficulty sleeping or
eating.
Ways to control worry
1. Practice thought-stopping
2. Schedule worry time
3. Evaluate your worries
4. Use your worries
5. Learn ways to relax
Thought stopping
According to Joseph Wolpe, a behavior
therapist,
1. The word “STOP!” distracts you
temporarily from whatever thought you
might be having.
2. Once you say “STOP!” you can begin to
replace your worry thoughts with
positive and productive thinking.
1. Say STOP! to replace any worry or negative
thought you might be having. (You can say it
silently.)
2. Put it off until your worry appointment (see
below). Or…
3. Replace that negative thought with a more
positive one.
For example
• You are sitting in class, and your teacher
assigns a paper.
• You begin to worry about the paper.
• Tell yourself to STOP!
• Put this worry off until your worry
appointment, or replace the worry with
something constructive.
•Places I might try thought –
stopping are:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Scheduling worry time
What? Scheduling worry?
Yes! Set up a worry
appointment with yourself.
• Putting the worry off until your
appointment helps you feel more in
control…and saves your time for better
things.
• You’ll probably feel happier if you worry
less often.
• The goal of a worry appointment is to contain
your worry to a time and place that you control.
• At first, you may have appointments daily.
• After a while, you may decrease the frequency
or duration of the appointments.
• You determine the time you need.
1. Set aside about half an hour – but not
before bedtime.
2. Dedicate this time to worrying ONLY.
3. If you find yourself worrying
beforehand, make a note of the worry
and come back to it at your appointment
time.
4. At worry time, let all your worries come
back. Look at them. Think about them.
• I am worried about__________________.
• I will make my worry appointment for
this matter for ______________________.
(day, date, time—from when to when?)
• I promise myself I WILL WORRY THEN
AND ONLY THEN.
• Did you forget some worries? Maybe
those worries aren’t that important.
• Are some worries still nagging at you?
Make regular appointments to worry, but
also consider your worries.
Evaluate your worries
• Is your worry realistic? Or are you only
seeing the negatives?
• Overestimating how awful things may
turn out?
• Ignoring the evidence to the contrary?
• My first worry is ___________________.
• What’s the very worst that can happen?
• What’s the likelihood that the very worst
will actually happen? 100%? Not likely!
• My second worry is about ___________________.
• I’m afraid what will happen is _______________
__________________________________________.
• The likelihood of this really happening is
less than 100%. It’s probably between
_________% and ________%.
• Do I really need to worry so much??!!
□ Yes
□ No
(hint: no)
…Add constructive thoughts about
the problem
This problem is not so big, really.
It’s not that unusual, either.
With a reasonable plan, it’s totally
manageable.
…Add constructive thoughts about
yourself
• I have many abilities to address this
problem I can:
1. ___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
Use your worries
• Rather than just worrying about
something DO something about it!
• When you identify actions to fix the
situation (i.e., prepare better for the next
exam) then you have turned worry into
something positive. You have made a
plan to tackle the issue.
Write ‘em down
• When you find yourself worrying about
something, write it down.
• When you look at it on paper, it all may
become clearer to you, and you stop the
circular process of worrying.
• You can now look at your concern and
work on it.
Use your worries—advanced version
• If you have more time and dedication, you
can make a list of worries and then turn it
into goals for effective and productive
problem solving.
The following two slides are adapted from:
Davis, M., Eshelman E.R., McKay, M.
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook.
(2000). 5th ed. Raincoast Books.
How-to…
1. Make a list of things that worry you.
2. Brainstorm about possible solutions without
making any judgment at this point.
3. Evaluate those solutions to see which ones seem
possible and impossible.
4. Put a √ mark next to the ones that are possible,
and an x next to the ones that feel impossible.
5. Set a deadline for the √ marked items.
6. Once the √ marked items have been
tackled, move onto the more difficult
ones that you marked with an x.
7. The x marked items might not seem
impossible as you originally thought.
Relaxation
• Relaxation is a good way of dealing with
stress in every day life.
• “Deep relaxation refers to a distinct
physiological state that is the exact opposite
of the way your body reacts under stress or
during a panic attack” (Bourne).
• Deep relaxation can have mental as well as
physical effects.
Mental effects of relaxation
• Reduces anxiety
• Prevents stress from building
• Improves concentration
• Increases self-confidence
• Increases awareness of feelings
Physical effects of relaxation
• Lowers heart rate.
• Slows breathing.
• Lowers blood pressure.
• Lowers muscle tension.
Relaxation
•Deep breathing.
•Progressive muscle relaxation.
The following 4 slides are adapted from: Davis,
M., Fanning, P., McKay, M. Thoughts and
Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and
Your life. (1997). Raincoast Books.
Deep breathing
• This may feel funny or unnatural at first,
but the more you practice the more you
will see results.
• Set aside a time and find a quiet place for
relaxation.
Slow, deep breathing
1.
Place one hand on your abdomen beneath your
ribcage.
2.
Inhale slowly through your nose into the bottom most
part of your lungs.
3.
Pause for a second, and then exhale for a count of 10
through your nose or your mouth. Exhale fully. Let
your body go.
4.
Do this 10 times.
Muscle relaxation
1. Three deep abdominal breaths
2. For each of the following muscle groups,
tighten for 7-10 seconds and then release for
15-20 seconds.
3. Clench fists.
4. Tighten biceps (bend arm to shoulder)
5. Tighten triceps
6. (hold arms out straight and lock elbows)
7. Tense forehead (raise eyebrows)
8. Tense eyes (close eyes tight)
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Tense jaw (open wide)
Tighten back (bend head back gently)
Weight of your head on chair/couch
Tighten your shoulders (shrugging)
Tighten your chest (take a deep breath)
Tighten your stomach (suck it in)
Tighten your lower back
(arc up – leave out if back pain)
16. Tighten your buttocks
17. Tighten your thigh muscles
18. Tighten your calf muscles
(pull toes toward you)
19. Tighten your feet (curl toes down)
20. Scan body for tension. If an area is tense
repeat cycle for that area.
Let the wave of relaxation spread
through your head to your toes.
Still worried?
Relax. It takes time (and practice).
Counseling Center
We offer:
• Confidential counseling for UC students – individual and
group
• Free walk-in urgent care services during business hours
• Consultation with faculty, staff, family, and friends
concerned about a student
• Workshops and presentations – stress management,
communication, relationships and balancing demands, and
other life-enhancing topics
316 Dyer Hall
(513) 556-0648
www.uc.edu/sas/counseling
References
• Beck, A.T., Emery, G., Greenberg, R.L. (1985). Anxiety
Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective.
Basic Books.
• Bourne, E.J. (2000). The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook.
3rd ed. New Harbinger Publications Inc.
• Craske, M.G., Barlow, D.H., O’Leary, T.A. (1992).
Graywind Publications Incorporated.
• Davis, M., Eshelman, E.R., McKay, M. (2000). The
Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. 5th ed.
Raincoast Books.
• Davis, M., Fanning, P., McKay, M. Thoughts and
Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your life.
(1997). Raincoast Books.
• University of Idaho Counseling and Testing Center
website:
http://www.ctc.uidaho.edu/default.aspx?pid=64768
• Why do people worry and how one can overcome it?
website: http://drsanderson.com/worry.htm