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Why am I still anxious about things that I know won't happen?

14 Answers
Last Updated: 03/04/2019 at 6:14am
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Jennifer Fritz, LMSW, PhD

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

Day to day life can be stressful and overwhelming and my strength is assisting my clients in a supportive, empowering and practical manner.

Top Rated Answers
ashmiblue
January 18th, 2016 9:24am
I'll tell you why that is. You're anxious about things that you know won't happen because YOU'RE SCARED THEY WOULD.
igruaminion
January 25th, 2016 4:40pm
I think even if something is pretty much guaranteed to not happen, but if it did, would cause you a great deal of trouble and put you in some sort of irreversible, 'black hole' where you'd feel lost and powerless, then your brain is still crazily anxious because it's come up with a situation and series of events that would cause you a real problem, and would be a genuine threat. So it panicks just as much as if it was real, because it roots down to something deep inside that's telling you you have a lack of influence and control within the world you're in, basically. If you really want to stop feeling like that, I'd suggest working on your self-esteem in someway or another, because being anxious of impossible things is a symptom not a cause. Real safety and peace in life comes from your ability to get through adversites, rather than your ability to recognise and avoid them.
Anonymous
February 14th, 2017 5:10pm
Anxiety isn't always rational. Once your brain latches onto an idea it finds distressing or worrisome it may continue to try to solve it even if it's not a real problem that can be solved.
Popsicle1990
April 27th, 2015 7:19pm
Anxiety is a complex beast, and sometimes it can overtake your most rational thoughts. The best thing you can do is focus on the positives day by day and soon that anxious feeling will ebb away.
HopeAlways16
March 21st, 2016 10:53am
Answer to this question is really simple but so terrifying: It's because our brain makes those worst-case scenarios and if you're suffering from any form of anxiety, things in our brain are much more complicated and those worst-case scenarios are so common. Most of those scenarios won't happen but our brain thinks he's saving us by making them up.
TinyFloatingWhale
November 8th, 2016 3:56pm
I personally feel like my brain thinks there's the teeniest chance it will happen, and it blows it out of proportion, exploring the what-ifs and confusing my anxiety with reality. It really helps me to write down specifically the reasons why my fear won't affect me, which helps reduce what-ifs.
blackJoy79
July 4th, 2017 8:27am
Because anxiety isn't rational and even if you know that the fear is not likely the anxiety in you can still be afraid
Astrodivision13
May 30th, 2017 1:00am
The mind has a way of overworking it's self and overthinking things that will never happen. When you have anxiety or depression it's hard to think straight sometimes. Even though I know things won't happen like the way they do in my head (which is usually horribly) I always believe they will and it literally drives me more and more crazy. Some days you have to just sit and meditate and think as positive as you can. It'll take time but it helps.
nicolehere
February 28th, 2015 3:09am
Sometimes the what ifs in our lives are the scariest possibilities of all. We all dwell on them even if we do not want to. From my experience I think that it is natural to feel like that. It is hard but you just have to remind yourself what is actually happening. Write it out or tell someone to get your thoughts straight, and then it will usually be more clear. You can focus on the now and put the what ifs out of your mind!
peacefulCat41
July 4th, 2015 6:35am
It may be that you have an overcautious nature that sends you these signals. It may be better to be safe than sorry, but there is also benefit to realizing that most of your fears are unfounded. Oftentimes getting enough sleep can help.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2015 9:59am
You are still anxious about things that you know won't happen because that is normal. Everyone has the fear that what if it comes true.
SuperSandi
June 19th, 2018 9:56am
because in the back of your mind, you feel that there's a possibility that it could happen. Whenever i get like that, I ask myself, "okay, but has it happened yet?" usually, answer is no. That helps me a lot.
Anonymous
May 22nd, 2015 5:38pm
You might be experiencing some anxiety, don't over think it, if you begin to feel this way, distract it with something less scary.
funnyBubbles77
March 4th, 2019 6:14am
Because as anxiety is a state of mind it's defined as a fear of something that is in the clear and present danger or something that is a possibility that you fear of happening which sends you into a pit of worry and dear of something that could may never happen. In your case of something that you are for sure won't happen it's that part of the definition where even though you know your brain still allows you to be scared of just the thought, people who have anxiety typically run through scenarios in their heads allowing them to visualize it and become even more scared of something that you clearly know will never happen.