Are you a Chronic Worrier?

Do You Usually Expect Things To Go Badly?

Do You See The World In ‘All-Or-Nothing’ Terms?

If You Are Anxious Or Depressed About A Current Situation, or a future event...

Ask Yourself These Questions:

• Am I jumping to conclusions? Are my predictions based on facts or just on feelings?
• Is there another way of looking at this? Am I thinking only about the worst-case scenario?
• Am I exaggerating or ‘catastrophising’, e.g. acting as though everything is wrong because of one event or change? Am I getting things out of proportion?
• How much of this is to do with me? Are there other factors? Are some things simply outside of my control?
• Is there only a down side? Could there be any unforeseen positive outcomes or benefits….?
• Am I over-emphasising my weaknesses and forgetting about my strengths and resources? Think of the times when you coped with similar difficulties in the past, and managed to get through them.
• Am I accepting life the way it is - or the way I’d wish it to be?
• What small thing could I do differently to change things for the better?

Strategies for problem-solving:

• Keep it simple- take small steps towards an achievable goal
• Confront your own avoidance- there’s no time like the present
• Err on the side of inclusion- “you don’t know unless you try”
• Reward yourself when you’ve taken a small step towards your goal
• Be patient and expect some setbacks. Things take time.
• Get support  for your efforts