Why Am I Anxious All the Time? Understanding Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Do you find yourself worrying almost constantly, even when there doesn't seem to be anything particularly wrong?
Perhaps one worry is resolved and another immediately takes its place. You worry about your health, family, work, money, relationships or things that haven't happened and may never happen.
You might even tell yourself:
There's nothing to worry about.
But your mind doesn't seem to listen.
Feeling anxious occasionally is a normal part of life. Anxiety becomes more difficult when worry seems to be there much of the time, is difficult to control and begins affecting how you feel or function from day to day.
For some people, persistent and excessive worry may be associated with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
I'm Sharon Shinwell, a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor and psychotherapist with more than 25 years' professional experience. During that time, I have worked with many people experiencing anxiety, excessive worry and the physical tension that can accompany it.
One of the things people often find most frustrating is knowing logically that they're worrying too much while still feeling unable to stop.
So why does that happen?
Why Am I Anxious When Nothing Is Wrong?
Anxiety doesn't always need an obvious immediate threat.
Your brain is extremely good at thinking ahead. That's useful when you're planning a journey or preparing for something important, but it can become exhausting when your mind repeatedly searches for things that might go wrong.
You may find yourself thinking:
What if I make a mistake?
What if something happens to someone I love?
What if this symptom means something serious?
What if I can't cope?
The event hasn't happened, but your body can still react to the possibility.
Your heart may beat faster. Your muscles tense. Your breathing changes. You feel unsettled.
Those sensations can then become another source of worry.
What Is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is a recognised anxiety disorder involving persistent worry about a range of different things rather than one particular situation.
According to the NHS, people with GAD may feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. The worries can affect everyday life and may be difficult to control.
GAD is different from occasionally worrying during a difficult or stressful period.
Someone with GAD may find the worry moves from one subject to another.
Today it might be money.
Tomorrow it's your health.
Then it's something happening at work.
Even when one concern disappears, the underlying sense that something might go wrong remains.
Only an appropriately qualified healthcare professional can diagnose GAD, so don't try to diagnose yourself from an online article.
What Are the Symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
GAD can affect both your thoughts and your body.
Psychological symptoms may include:
persistent worrying
difficulty controlling worry
feeling restless or on edge
difficulty concentrating
irritability
repeatedly imagining negative outcomes
finding it difficult to relax
Physical symptoms can include things such as:
muscle tension
tiredness
headaches
feeling light-headed
digestive discomfort
difficulty sleeping
noticeable or faster heartbeat
sweating or trembling
People experience anxiety differently, and having some of these symptoms doesn't automatically mean you have GAD.
Physical symptoms can also have other causes, which is one reason persistent or concerning symptoms should be discussed with your GP.
Why Can't I Stop Worrying?
People sometimes try to deal with anxiety by telling themselves:
Stop worrying.
Unfortunately, if it were that simple, persistent anxiety wouldn't be a problem.
Worry can begin to feel as though it serves a purpose.
You might believe that if you think through every possible outcome, you'll be prepared.
Or that worrying about somebody you love somehow helps keep them safe.
You may repeatedly analyse a problem because you believe that eventually you'll reach complete certainty.
But many of life's questions don't have completely certain answers.
The result can be hours of thinking without actually solving anything.
A useful question is:
Is there something practical I can do about this now?
If there is, identify the action.
If there isn't, continuing to think about it may simply be repeating the worry rather than solving the problem.
Why Does Anxiety Jump From One Thing to Another?
This is something many people with persistent anxiety recognise.
You finally receive reassurance about one concern and feel relieved.
Then another worry appears.
This can happen because the underlying problem isn't necessarily the individual subject you're worrying about. It may be the habit of responding to uncertainty with worry.
Imagine you are worried about an appointment.
The appointment goes well.
For a short time you feel better.
Then you remember a bill you need to pay.
Once that's dealt with, you start wondering about a family member.
The subject changes, but the process remains remarkably similar.
Recognising that pattern can be important because it changes the question from:
How do I eliminate every possible thing I could worry about?
to:
How can I change the way I respond when uncertainty appears?
Why Does Anxiety Feel So Physical?
Anxiety isn't experienced only as thoughts.
Your body can respond when your brain perceives a threat, whether that threat is happening in front of you or you're imagining what might happen tomorrow.
This can help explain why anxiety may involve muscle tension, changes in breathing, butterflies in the stomach, sweating or a racing heart.
These sensations can feel frightening, particularly if you don't realise anxiety may be contributing to them.
Some people then become anxious about the sensations themselves.
You notice your heart beating quickly.
You think:
Why is my heart doing that?
That thought creates more anxiety, which makes the physical sensation even more noticeable.
Understanding that anxiety can produce physical sensations may make them less alarming, but new, severe or persistent physical symptoms shouldn't simply be assumed to be anxiety. Speak to your GP if you're concerned.
Why Is Anxiety Often Worse at Night?
During the day, there may be plenty to occupy your attention.
Work, conversations, household jobs and other activities compete with your thoughts.
Then you get into bed.
The distractions disappear.
Suddenly, your mind has space to revisit everything you've been worrying about.
You may start replaying conversations, planning tomorrow or imagining future problems.
Trying desperately to force yourself not to think can sometimes make the thoughts feel even more intrusive.
Instead, it can help to create a regular wind-down period before bed and deal with practical concerns earlier in the evening rather than trying to resolve your entire life once your head reaches the pillow.
If anxiety is specifically affecting your sleep, that's slightly different from general daytime anxiety and is worth addressing as a sleep problem in its own right.
How Can I Calm Anxiety When It Starts Building?
When anxiety is rising, trying to reason your way through every worry at once can be difficult.
Start with something simple.
Slow your breathing
Allow your breathing to become comfortable and unforced. A slower, steadier breathing pattern can give you something neutral to focus on while the initial wave of anxiety settles.
Notice physical tension
Check your jaw, shoulders and hands.
If you're gripping or tensing unnecessarily, deliberately allow those muscles to loosen.
Bring your attention back to what's happening now
Anxiety often takes you into the future.
Ask yourself:
What is actually happening at this moment?
Not what might happen tomorrow.
Not what you're frightened could happen next month.
Right now.
Separate possibility from probability
Something being possible doesn't automatically make it likely.
An anxious mind can treat the two as though they're the same.
Delay unnecessary reassurance
If your immediate reaction is to search online, ask somebody for reassurance or repeatedly check something, try waiting for a short while first.
You may discover that the anxiety can reduce without needing certainty.
What Can Help With Generalised Anxiety Disorder?
There isn't one approach that suits everybody.
If anxiety is persistent or affecting your everyday life, your GP is a sensible starting point.
Treatments for GAD can include psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and, where appropriate, medication. Your GP or another healthcare professional can discuss suitable options with you.
There are also everyday changes that may support your overall wellbeing.
Regular physical activity can be helpful for many people. Reducing excessive caffeine may be worth considering if you notice it makes you feel more jittery or anxious. Sleep, regular meals, relaxation and maintaining social contact can also matter.
The important thing is not to turn anxiety management into another impossible list of things you must do perfectly.
Start somewhere manageable.
How Does CBT Help With Anxiety?
CBT is one of the established psychological treatments used for anxiety disorders.
It looks at connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
For example:
Situation: Your manager asks to speak to you tomorrow.
Thought: I'm going to lose my job.
Feeling: Anxiety.
Behaviour: Spend the evening repeatedly analysing everything you've done at work.
CBT can help you identify these patterns and examine whether your automatic interpretation is supported by the evidence.
The goal isn't to force yourself into unrealistic positive thinking.
It's to develop a more balanced response rather than automatically accepting the most frightening interpretation.
Can Self-Hypnosis Help With Anxiety?
Self-hypnosis isn't a treatment or cure for Generalised Anxiety Disorder and shouldn't replace professional care where that's needed.
Where it may be useful is as an additional self-help approach for relaxation, anxious overthinking and practising calmer responses.
During hypnosis, you're guided into a relaxed and focused state.
You can then mentally rehearse responding differently to situations that usually trigger worry — noticing anxious thoughts without immediately following them, releasing unnecessary physical tension and bringing your attention back to the present.
I created my Generalised Anxiety Self-Hypnosis MP3 + companion eBook for people who would like additional support with persistent worry, tension and anxious overthinking.
The hypnosis recording uses guided relaxation, visualisation and therapeutic suggestion, while the accompanying eBook provides practical information and exercises for understanding anxiety and developing calming routines.
You can read more about the Generalised Anxiety Self-Hypnosis MP3 + eBook here.
Is Self-Hypnosis a Replacement for Therapy or Medication?
No.
This is particularly important with a condition such as GAD.
Self-hypnosis can be used as a self-help or complementary relaxation technique, but it shouldn't be presented as a substitute for an appropriate diagnosis or treatment.
If you're already receiving treatment for anxiety, don't stop medication or make changes to your treatment because you've started using hypnosis. Discuss treatment changes with the healthcare professional responsible for your care.
Some people simply use guided relaxation or self-hypnosis alongside other approaches because they find it gives them a structured opportunity to slow down and practise responding differently to anxious thoughts.
When Should I Speak to My GP About Anxiety?
Consider speaking to your GP if anxiety is persistent, difficult to control or interfering with your everyday life.
That might include anxiety affecting your work, relationships, sleep or ability to do things you would normally do.
It's also important to seek medical advice about physical symptoms you're concerned about rather than automatically assuming anxiety is responsible.
There is no requirement to wait until anxiety becomes unbearable before asking for help.
Appropriate support is available, and your GP can help you consider what might be most suitable for your circumstances.
You Don't Have to Solve Every Worry
An anxious mind often wants certainty.
It wants to know that everything will be all right.
That nobody you love will become ill.
That you'll never make a mistake.
That nothing unexpected will happen.
Unfortunately, none of us can have that degree of certainty.
Learning to manage anxiety isn't necessarily about eliminating every anxious thought.
Sometimes it's about noticing:
I'm worrying again.
And then deciding that you don't have to follow that thought through every possible outcome.
You can bring your attention back to what you know, what you can influence and what is actually happening now.
That may feel like a small change.
But when worry has become automatic, learning that you don't have to respond to every anxious thought can be an important one.
If you'd like additional support with relaxation, persistent worry and anxious overthinking, you can read more about my Generalised Anxiety Self-Hypnosis MP3 + companion eBook.
If you've never experienced hypnosis before, you can also listen to my free 10-minute self-hypnosis taster on my About Sharon Shinwell page.
About Sharon Shinwell
Sharon Shinwell is a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with more than 25 years' professional experience.
During her professional career, Sharon has worked with people experiencing anxiety, persistent worry, stress and many of the thought patterns that can make it difficult to relax.
Through Self Hypnosis UK, Sharon creates professionally guided self-hypnosis recordings designed to provide practical support that people can use privately and in their own time.
