When you worry too much, it can have a number of negative effects on your body and mind, including:
Physical symptoms: Worrying can cause physical symptoms like muscle tension, headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath. It can also cause sweating, which is known as nervous sweating.
Mental health: Worrying too much can increase your risk of developing mental health conditions like anxiety disorders or depression.
Sleep problems: Worrying can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep.
Impaired functioning: Worrying can make it harder to function well at home and work.
Stress hormones: Worrying can trigger your nervous system to release stress hormones, which can speed up your heart rate and breathing, and raise your blood sugar.
Constant worrying, negative thinking, and always expecting the worst can take a toll on your emotional and physical health. It can sap your emotional strength, leave you feeling restless and jumpy, cause insomnia, headaches, stomach problems, and muscle tension, and make it difficult to concentrate at work or school.
How to stop worrying
Here are some strategies that may help you stop worrying:
Take a break: Step away from the situation and give yourself time to calm down.
Focus on the present: Try breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga to help you feel more in control of your thoughts and feelings.
Write down your worries: Journaling can help you manage and let go of negative thoughts.
Exercise: Physical activity can relieve tension and release endorphins that make you feel happy and relaxed.
Challenge unhelpful thoughts: Try to observe your thoughts without judgment.
Compare your worries to reality: After an event, compare the scale of your worry to what actually happened.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: focuses on teaching your specific skills to directly manage your worries and help you gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety. Through this process, your symptoms improve as you build on your initial success. Many people have found a cognitive approach to be wonderfully helpful and much quicker than other therapeutic approaches.
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