"Many wellness companies have been created to promote a calm state of mind through breathing exercises, gratitude journals, and digital detoxes. While having a calm mind can be beneficial, declaring worrying as a negative part of life only serves to overlook a key element of human emotion. Worry does not have to be the enemy; it can instead serve as a beneficial mechanism that serves as a protective buffer, an encouragement to act, and a refining tool."
"Researchers have shown that there is a purpose to worrying. It is not, as many people think, a flaw of design in human beings but a way for the mind to prepare for the potential outcomes of reality. As early as the 1980s, studies suggested that worry helps humans prepare for potential threats by running mental "what if" scenarios (Borkovec, Robinson, Pruzinsky, & DePree, 1983). In other words, worry is a mental seatbelt, not a malfunction."
"We often imagine worry as unproductive, a spinning wheel of fear. But according to psychologist Kate Sweeny, worry has surprising upsides. In her 2017 paper, she found that moderate worry can motivate preventive health behaviors and help people emotionally brace for bad news (Sweeny & Dooley, 2017). Low to moderate or manageable levels of anxiety may have a beneficial aspect to how we manage our daily lives."
Worry functions as a mental seatbelt that prepares the mind for possible threats and outcomes by running 'what if' scenarios. Low to moderate levels of worry motivate preventive behaviors, improve organization, and increase preparation for appointments, exams, and unexpected changes. Manageable anxiety sharpens concentration and helps people emotionally brace for bad news. Worry can act as a protective buffer, an encouragement to act, and a refining tool that channels focus, stimulates growth, and supports empathy. Excessive worry remains harmful, but moderate, continuous worry provides adaptive advantages for practical planning and emotional readiness.
Read at Psychology Today
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