It should be noted that when a person worries, it does not necessarily mean he suffers from general anxiety disorder or GAD. There are several differences between normal worrying and suffering from GAD symptoms. Knowing these things could be essential in determining whether or not you are positive the said disorder, and in preventing its worsening and other harmful effects as well.
In its most basic essence, normal worry is an emotion affected by thoughts on the probable negative events in the future. These thoughts could be either real or imaginary and normally involve the “what if” question. Everyone worries every now and then. Even the strong, skilled, spiritually-motivated, powerful, and financially-capable persons tend to doubt themselves about something they want to achieve or prevent to happen. This is mainly because of knowing the fact that there are so many things that can’t be controlled or completely controlled out of your capabilities and resources.
Some people worry about the accidents that could happen due to others’ recklessness or on the incidents that were not anticipated to take place. There are also some who worry for their finances, relationship issues, school activities, their job and workplace, business goals, and various personal matters. All these are normal and could actually motivate a person to become more careful and aware of his or her limitations.
On the other hand, a person could be already suffering from general anxiety disorder when he worries too much and he can’t get rid of it once the thoughts start to cross his mind. Sufferers of GAD are usually extreme and chronic worriers. They tend to worry about anything, regardless of the assurance their and others’ capabilities and resources bring. Much worse, they end up doing impractical or absurd actions, thinking these are the way of preventing what they worry for to happen. People with GAD mostly find it difficult to trust others and thus, they often think they would get disappointed, betrayed, or rejected.
In fact, persons recorded by physicians to have undergone several medical checkups despite their normal condition could be considered to have signs of GAD. People who prefer to do things too redundantly but still in doubt of the outcome of their works are candidates for this disorder as well. They are mostly perfectionists who easily become disturbed whenever something not so good happens with the subject of their concern. Additionally, people who are too afraid of dying, growing old, gaining weight, or appearing old-fashioned may suffer from GAD. They can’t accept the mere fact that life is a constant change and nothing in this world remains eternally.
If you want to know whether or not you have GAD, simply ask yourself these questions: do I worry often and too much? Do I frequently get told “don’t worry”? Does worrying already affect my daily activities? And do I successfully stop myself worrying when I need to? If one or more of these is answerable by a ‘yes’, then it’s time for you to consult a psychologist and if necessary, undergo cognitive-behaviour therapy and other appropriate medication.