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

1. Am I jumping to conclusions? Are my predictions based on facts or just on feelings?
2. Is there another way of looking at this? Am I thinking only about the worst-case scenario?
3. 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?
4. How much of this is to do with me? Are there other factors? Are some things simply outside of my control?
5. Is there only a down side? Could there be any unforeseen positive outcomes or benefits….?
6. 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.
7. Am I accepting life the way it is - or the way I’d wish it to be?
8. 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