To worry all the time?

[ssd]

I was awake all of last night worrying about something to do with the building in the house we want to do.

I worry continually, it makes me lose sleep and feel hellish.

I worry that if I had something really major to worry about the worry would kill me. I'm being serious.

Please can anyone who was a mad worrier but has cured themselves give me some advice, this is really doing my head in.

I'm not a lentil weaver, but I think being a virgo doesn't help.

You might find some self help on the internet somewhere - google anxiety, worry, rumination, things like that - rumination is overwhelming continuous worry where you just go round and round in circles and your mind just won't 'let go' of something.

You may be in a vicious circle where you feel anxious about the building work so you worry and worry about it so you feel it's dominating your thoughts so you feel even more anxious about it, etc.

One trap it's easy to be stuck in is thinking that experiencing a feeling of anxiety means there must be something worth worrying about. In fact, how anxious you feel is no guide to how much you need to worry. Sometimes, an anxious feeling can be totally disproportionate to the size of a problem (the building problem or whatever it is).

Just accepting the feeling, trying to stand back and notice yourself feeling it rather than letting it drive how much time you spend worrying, can be helpful. You have to actively say to yourself: yes I'm still feeling anxious, it's not a nice feeling, but I'm not going to think about this building problem any more because more thinking (rumination) is not solving the problem.

It is hard. I don't know if that helps you at all but it sometimes helps me.

Minthumbug - are you me? Dh is such an optimist despite all evidence to the contrary at times that I feel I have to be a worrier / pessimist to bring it home to him what could really happen. Mad but true.

YABU to worry all the time, but you know this. As thats what you've said.

If its impacting on your life then you do need to do something about it.

You should post this in Mental health.

As squishy says take a step back from it.

What I did a few night ago is perhaps foolish, but i needed to exercise and no relaxation techniques were stopping the worries.

So I got up at 4:30, put a baby monitor next to my husbands bed and went out for a run! Wrecked my whole day but it broke the cycle and I slept like a log.

I try hard to be an optimist most of the time. it makes life much easier for me.

thanks everyone!

as minthumbug said, my dh doesn't worry too much about things, and I know there are certain things he keeps from me as he knows I'll worry myself silly about things I can't control.

last night I had to get up in the night as I was worrying and couldn't sleep and I could hear dh snoring away and I thought, he's not worried why should I be? but in our family I'm the one who organises everything and I mean everything, dh is very disorganised and I daren't leave it up to him. also I have an old mum who I have to organise to the hilt too, and without any other family support nearby I just feel like everythings down to me and the pressure is crap. I try to pretend I'm a laid back, easy going person but inside I'm chewing up with the worry of it all.

I am a worrier - always been anxious (though apparently don't come across like that in RL).

Now under drs being treated for anxiety/stress/depression.

Dr gave me website - www.patient.co.uk and said look at 'stress a self help guide'. THough haven't yet. Also is a sleep guide on there that can be helpful (I've barely slept for the past week or 2).

Also no caffine (I get jittery/shaky/stuttery so obviously doesn't help).

Other stuff I find good is exercise - long walks with mp3 player or similar if you can to take time out plus exercise releases happy stuff in you (technical science bit that ).

"I worry that if I had something really major to worry about the worry would kill me. I'm being serious."

Yeah I kinda got to that stage. Luckily went to the drs for something else entirely and they were erm concerned about my behaviour etc and am now waiting for urgent referral for counselling and for antidepressants. Have also been given tablets to help me sleep etc.

TBH I can't imagine what it's like not to stress/worry about everything but it would/should be nice to find out !

yes, armadillo, it sure would!