Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) causes excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday life, and anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S.
Worry presents itself with negative thoughts and the development of scenarios that might happen when going about your daily activities. It creates endless “what if” questions that interfere with your ability to deal with even the simplest situations.
Here we look at everything you need to know about GAD with solutions to help you or a loved one cope with anxiety.
What is Worry?
We all worry. Worrying is part of life and can occur when we face new or uncertain situations.
For some, worry is about others, such as worrying when a loved one has to drive home in a storm. It might be worrying about our careers, our student workload, or our children.
However, when worry becomes uncontrollable, it takes over your life and can make it impossible to enjoy peace-of-mind.
How Do I Know I Am Worrying?
Worrying creates possible negative outcomes we imagine might result from future events.
The easiest way to explain worry is to think of it as presenting a series of negative scenarios, posing “what if” questions to ourselves. In the case of GAD, instead of just thinking, “What if I am late for work”?, the process continues with an endless list of questions:
- What if my boss is angry?
- What if I get fired?
- What if I can’t find a new job?
- What if I become a failure?
- What if I lose my home?
- What if I can’t buy food?
The worrying is uncontrollable and obsessive. Instead of a basic worry of being late, it continues from thought to thought, creating an excessive chain of unreasonable scenarios.
Recognizing GAD-Level Worrying
GAD-level worrying can be recognized by the following behavior:
- You worry all the time
- You find you worry more than others
- People around you say you worry too much
- You worry even when there is nothing to worry about
- You have to find ways to distract yourself, so you don’t worry
- Once a worrying thought enters your mind, is it difficult to stop the chain of negative thoughts and possible scenarios
If this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from GAD.
Are There Certain GAD Personality Traits?
Perfectionism is a common personality trait for people with GAD, such as taking hours to bake a cake at home, or composing an email at work.
They can also be intolerant in situations of uncertainty when decisions aren’t made, or things are left “up in the air.” Other common traits for those with GAD include:
- The need for constant reassurance
- Checking in with loved ones frequently
- List-making
- Obsessive research before making a purchase, or decisions
- Micromanagement and needing to do everything themselves
- Procrastination
- Avoidance of new opportunities
- Unable to make decisions
People with GAD have different needs whether it is feeling more in control, feeling reassured they are doing the right thing or reducing scenarios that lead to more worry.
Are There Physical Signs of GAD?
Yes. GAD symptoms often begin with physical symptoms such as:
- Racing heart
- Sweating
- Stomach pain or discomfort
- Restlessness
- Muscle pain in the neck and shoulders
- Irritability and/or moodiness
- Sleep issues and feeling fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating
If you experience these symptoms in hand with a “chaining” effect with worrying thought after worrying thought, neuropsychological testing can help identify your condition. From there the right psychotherapy can help you cope with GAD and reduce your level of worrying.
The Chicago Mind Solutions Difference
Chicago Mind Solutions works with individuals, offering neuropsychological testing and non-invasive treatment for many mental health conditions. For more information about our treatments and teletherapy options, please contact us at (224) 723-5050 or email info@chicagomindsolutions.com.
