What if the reasons for being anxious are real, not imagined?

All I read about GAD suggests that the anxiousness one feels is generally overinflated with respect to reality.  But what if this isn't so?  In my own situation, sure, some of my stress is self-generated - being overly concerned about my job (hmmm... sounds reasonable in this economic climate, plus, I go up for promotion next year), my nation's future ($11+ Trillion debt and involved in two wars), my family (my brother's newborn died last yr, my mom has cardiovascular surgeries on a regular basis, my wife spent 9 days in the hospital earlier this year, and the school district thinks my son has a speech developmental delay), my planet (the largest extinction spasm of the last 65 million years)...

So, what if the reasons for being anxious are real?  Then what?

Hi Danib

Welcome to hw ;p

Nearly all the things that set off my anxiety are real, the difference when im anxious i cant stop worrying bout them.

e.g Right now im worried bout losing my job too, so when i go into meetings i panic i talk quickly i stumble over my words etc.. as i go to more meetings i begin toworry im going to panic and panic more. As the fear of losing my job grows I start worry bout making mistakes in my daily so I inspect everything 3 times to make sure their are no mistakes or delegate to someone-else. I get so worried and obessesed by the smallest mistake at work that i lay awake at night thinking about it. So I end up going to work tired and am therefore more likely to make mistakes.

The fear of losing my job is real ( i've already had written warnings) but i know if i get really anxious about losing my job it will actually cause me to lose my job. So i have to keep my anxiety in check. Sure alittle anxiety about a very real threat is good but when it gets to the point when its making the problems worse then I know my anxiety disorder is kicking in and its time for me to get help.

Badfish :p

As a child, my anxiety was about my perceptions of what I saw on the news and a traumatic witness to a tornado ripping through a trailer park.  Children don't have the skills to manuever from what is real and what is anxiety-driven.

As an adult, most of my anxiety is triggered by what-if's.  I could what if myself into a frenzy over anything and if I didn't have anything to worry about I'd be worried that I was forgetting to worry about something.  My mind tells me if I worry about something, then that keeps bad things from happening.  I will over react about my air conditioning going out or having to replace a tire. 

My mind likes to try to be prepared with a game plan for an event (having a baby, moving, going on vacation, a Saturday at the park, a trip to the mall).  If reality does not match my game plan, it triggers my anxiety and I get all worked up.

Your reasons all sound real to me.  But people who don't have major strife (me) still have anxiety.  If I could just stop it, I would.

Holly

 

Certainly the causes of anxiety are real, however in people who suffer from GAD or PD, it is more an excessive response of worry that is the problem. The reality of life is that anything could happen at any time, but when your worry over it is interfering with your life and preventing you from doing things, then you need to get treatment to help deal with those feelings and modulate your response to worrisome things. And realistically worrying about something is not going to prevent it from happening and doesn't necessarily make you better prepared to deal with it (easier said than done and your mind has a funny way of tricking you into thinking that it will help!). Anxiety causes anxiety, and that issue is just as real as the economy or wars. It is more the response to your fears that anxiety treatment addresses, not the fears themselves. Therapy is not going to make the war stop, but it could really help you process those feelings of being overwhelmed.
No matter what the reason, if you are anxious there are ways to help you get through some of thsoe feelings. You shouldn't have to live your life around your fears and medication and therapy are two really good ways to help deal with all those feelings. Your anxiety is real, I hope you will look into getting treatment!