Introduction & Theoretical Background
This guide frames worry and anxiety as normal responses to threatening situations:
Anything can be a trigger for worry. Even when things go right, you might manage to think to yourself “but what if it all falls apart?”. There are particular situations where worry becomes even more common, though. Strong triggers for worry are situations that are:
- Ambiguous – open to different interpretations.
- Novel and new – so we don’t have any experience to fall back on.
- Unpredictable – unclear how things will turn out.
Does any of this sound familiar at the moment? The current worldwide health situation ticks all of these boxes, and so it makes sense that people are experiencing a lot of worry. It is an unusual situation with much uncertainty, which can naturally lead us to worry and feel anxious.
As well as providing important information about anxiety and worry, it guides the reader through a selection of skills-development exercises:
- Maintain a