38 | June• 2019
TAMING THE ‘WHAT IFS’
Defining Distress
We often use the terms ‘worry’,
‘stress’ and ‘anxiety’ interchangea-
bly, but they aren’t the same. Each
has unique qualities and identify-
ing which one is plaguing us will
CHIL
LED
OU
CHRO TNICCASETHE WORRY METER
Are you cool and collected or a total worrywart? Find out if your
concerns might be exerting too much control over you
When you have a big
meeting at the office,
you get so worked up
that you often have
trouble sleeping or
you might even call in
sick. When something’s
uncertain in your life,
you usually jump to a
worst-case scenario.*You regularly worry
about everything from
forgetting to take your
medication to meeting
deadlines to being late
for a date – but that
will drive you to set
reminders for yourself
and be proactive about
your to-do list.You go about your day
without consist ently
thinking ahead, but
you still get
nervous when a key
event comes along.
When you do think
about the future, you
usually believe it
will turn out okay.*When your worries are interfering with your life, it’s time to talk to your doctor.help us better address it. Psycholo-
gist Kristin Buhr, co-author of The
Worr y Workbook, breaks down the
differences.Worry is a negative thought you
have about an uncertainty in life.
Worries tend to focus on the as-
sumption that something negative
will come from future events or from
the outcomes of occurrences that
happened in the past.Stress involves your reaction to
pressures placed on you. You feel