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Sunday, July 6, 2014

AS LONG AS I CAN GET REASSURANCE FROM ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS ABOUT MY WORRIES, I FEEL BETTER. DO I STILL NEED TO SEEK TREATMENT FOR MY WORRYING?

bestsayingquotes.com
This depends on the extent and severity of your worrying. If the following statements are true for you, then it might be a good idea to seek professional treatment:
1.My worry feels out of control.
2.I feel like I can't stop worrying.
3.My worry causes me a great deal of distress.
4.My worry causes problems with my family, social, work, and recreational activities.

Reassurance from a family member or even a close friend can be helpful in the moment, but over time your problems with worry are likely to persist. Reassurance-seeking is recognized by professionals as a “safety behavior,” or a short-term coping mechanism. Let's say I worry that my husband has been in a car accident, even though there is no evidence for that. I ask my sister, “Is he okay? Did anything happen to him?” and she tells me, “He's fine…everything is fine.” I might feel better at the time, but I haven't learned anything as far as how to look at my negative thinking in a more realistic manner. What I've learned is that every time I worry about my husband, I can ask my sister about it to feel better. To really begin to make a dent in your worrying, you don't want to have to depend on anyone's reassurance. You want to learn to be your own rational coach or reassure.
Source: The Anxiety Answer Book by: Laurie A. Helgoe, PhD, Laura R. Wilhelm, PhD, Martin J. Kommor, MD

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