Excessive worry
2-minute read
It’s natural to worry about things that are important in your life. But if you find you are worrying about every little thing, this can be a problem.
Challenge your thoughts by asking yourself these questions:
- Am I exaggerating?
- Am I jumping to conclusions?
- Am I focusing only on the bad or negative things in my life?
Dealing with excessive worry
You may have a genuine worry or problem which causes you anxiety. To help you deal with worry, try these suggestions:
- Write down your worry or problem.
- Come up with as many solutions to the problem as you can.
- Focus on the positive - don’t put obstacles in your way.
- Think how you have successfully solved a problem before.
- Ask a friend or family member how they would deal with the problem.
- Think about what advice you would give a friend if they had the same problem.
If you are finding that worrying is impacting your life, you can learn to postpone your worry. Set a time and a place for worrying. Then whenever a worry pops into your head, postpone it until this time. It will give you a sense of control.
Where to get help
If you need help, talking to your doctor is a good place to start. If you’d like to find out more or talk to someone else, here are some organisations that can help:
- MindSpot Clinic (anyone suffering from anxiety or depression) — call 1800 61 44 34.
- beyondblue (anyone feeling depressed or anxious) — call 1300 22 4636 or chat online.
- Black Dog Institute (people affected by depression and extreme mood swings) — online help.
- Lifeline (anyone experiencing a crisis or thinking about suicide) — call 13 11 14 or chat online.
- Suicide Call Back Service (anyone thinking about suicide) — call 1300 659 467.
Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: August 2019
