As we mentioned, having an illness like chronic fatigue is a major stressor with flow on effects in all aspects of life. People with chronic fatigue often worry about their situation, which can worsen their symptoms and keep them stuck. Worry itself is a very demanding activity, which takes up a lot of time and mental energy. Worrying involves thinking about or dwelling on a certain situation or concern, over and over again. If your worry is frequent and hard to control or dismiss then it may be a problem.
You can identify worry by the following features:
- You anticipate something negative will happen in the future, and
- You have the same thoughts about this over and over again
Prolonged or frequent worry can generate anxiety and create further worries. This keeps the fight or flight response activated and maintains symptoms of anxiety. As such, worry is fatiguing in its own right. It can also cause symptoms like muscle tension, headaches, nausea, and so on. Worry often prevents positive thinking and action, and leaves people less able to deal with stressful situations effectively. Negative consequences often occur, adding even more stress and creating new problems to worry about.
For example, Juan suffers from severe fatigue, flu-like symptoms and muscle weakness. Juan has missed several classes recently and is worried he won’t pass his end of year exams. Juan’s worry about university triggers a negative cycle. Here’s how Juan’s worries snowballed:
- Juan worried about whether he would pass the exams and maintain high grades
- Juan fell further behind at university and started worrying about failing his course
- Juan’s parents became concerned and over involved, which added further pressure
- Juan felt like he had to manage his parents worry as well as his own
- As a result of the stress, Juan’s relationship with his girlfriend became strained
- Worrying about his parents and his relationship with his girlfriend meant Juan was even less able to focus on his studies. His grades slipped further and his fears about not completing his course became even more real.
You can see how unhelpful worrying was for Juan. A single worry turned into a series of other worries. Psychologists sometimes refer to this snowballing effect or series of worrisome thoughts as a ‘worry chain’. Worrying is very different to problem solving. Worrying is a negative thought process which involves dwelling on the worst case scenario; it just leaves us anxious and unprepared for what’s to come. Problem solving, on the other hand, involves taking steps to find a solution and deal with the problem.
As mentioned, chronic fatigue and worry often go hand in hand. Common worries associated with chronic fatigue including things like:
- “What if I can’t do the work? I’ll let the whole team down”
- “What if I can’t keep up with the others?”
- “What if I get sick again?”
- “How will I cope being away from home for that long?”
- “How will I cope travelling to work alone?”
- “I don’t know how to socialise anymore, it’s been too long”
- “How will I explain my situation to my employer?”
Do you identify with any of these worries? Take a moment to think about your own worries. Do you have worries about the future or how you’ll cope in certain situations? These types of worries commonly trigger feelings of anxiety, which sets off the body’s stress response. Many people with chronic fatigue find that their symptoms get worse when they are stressed or worried. As such, it is important to learn ways to reduce stress and worry.
