What is the Source of Worry? Does Constant Worrying Mean Something is Wrong?

What is the source of worry? Does worrying constantly mean something is wrong? The human brain is immensely complex, making it difficult to understand and interpret all its unique functions. First, let’s consider the physiological and psychological aspects of worrying.

Physiological Aspects of Worrying

The brain has two primary systems that take in information and decipher it throughout the body. These systems are the peripheral and central nervous systems, but the central nervous system is responsible for receiving information that can potentially harm us. Environmental experiences (i.e., being startled, anxious, etc.) are first relayed through the thalamus to the hypothalamus of the brain.

From there, anxiety or perceived threats are interpreted by the hypothalamus, and signals are sent out to the rest of the body to prepare for the perceived negative stimulus. In simpler or common terms, this is known as our fight, flight, or freeze response. This innate response prepares our bodies to respond to worry, such as getting a huge medical bill in the mail, getting into an automobile accident, hearing that your son/daughter wants to enlist in the military, etc.

Most people in the general population are unaware that worrying is first a physical reaction rather than a psychological response. Let’s dive deeper into this. Have you ever experienced worry and then suddenly, your stomach feels queasy, your leg starts to bounce, or maybe you become super sweaty? This is the body having a physiological response to whatever stimulus just invoked worry for you.

Psychological Aspects of Worrying

Now, let’s interpret the psychological response. Once the brain catches up to the sense of worry, our bodies will either increase or decrease the physical response. So, what does that mean exactly, one might ask. Well, let’s say you’re in a grocery store and you notice two people are beginning to get into a verbal altercation, and you must move past them to get away from the situation.

More than likely, you would immediately feel worried and may first notice your heart rate is increasing or a sudden urge to find another way of moving away from the altercation. This is the brain quickly interpreting a potentially dangerous situation, but the brain cannot interpret the impact of the situation until the perceived threat or cause of worry is no longer posing an immediate risk.

Once the body has regained its homeostasis (baseline), your brain will then interpret what you just experienced. This is when you begin to notice things like worry, which typically manifests as anxiety. So, now let’s discuss when there is no overt negative stimulus in front of you, but rather you are worried about what may happen when going to a new event, meeting a new person, or preparing to face an aversive task/experience (e.g., taking a test).

Notice what you feel first as you begin to pay attention to this effect. Perhaps your heart begins to beat faster, your palms become sweaty or clammy, your stomach becomes upset, or you zone out; these are all symptoms of worry and anxiety. So what’s the resolution?

How to Overcome Worry

You must get the physical worry under control, which is done most effectively by taking deep breaths and trying to ground yourself in the moment. This could be something as simple as naming five things you see around you or even trying to name three to five things you can hear. Once your physical sensations have minimized, begin focusing on your thoughts and feelings. This will allow you to see how they impact your behavior (i.e., negative or positive).

Now, let’s shift our focus to the spiritual impact of worry and what the Bible says about it. In Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.”

This particular Bible verse strongly encourages Christians to use prayer when dealing with worry rather than relying on their abilities to handle it. So, if it’s as simple as praying and trusting God, why do we struggle to relinquish our worries? This is largely related to our innate determination to control all aspects of our lives.

In reality, this is a vast illusion from both the psychological and spiritual objective perspectives. Psychologically, we cannot control how others think, feel, or behave, and yet how many times have you heard or said, “You made me feel…” This is a common phrase said when you typically engage in an altercation with someone.

However, understanding that we cannot make someone feel something helps us to acknowledge that our behaviors can impact those around us, but that we cannot take responsibility for how others feel. This leads to people worrying about how people will interpret something, which may lead to you feeling like you cannot say what you need to say in fear of how someone will respond to it.

This is an example of healthy vs unhealthy worrying. Spiritually, we are not always privy to God’s plans for us, and therefore, we search for an understanding. When we are unsuccessful in this, we begin to worry that we are either disconnected from God or that we are not doing enough to satisfy God. Therefore, we need to reassess our sense of control. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice, so we would not have to worry.

Jesus’ teachings during his three-and-a-half-year ministry exemplified that we as children of God do not need to worry. When Jesus’ disciples feared what the Pharisees would do to them or Jesus, Jesus reminded them that they had nothing to fear.

Next Steps

When doing counseling for worry or anxiety, you must refocus your understanding of control. When we worry about things we do not have control over, we develop side effects such as physical discomfort, social disconnect, depression, and interpersonal challenges. Seeking counseling for worry can lead to a sense of freedom from guilt, doubt, and insecurity. Put your faith in God, and he will deliver you from any struggle.