A Case Study In Worry

A Case Study in Worry: Understanding Chronic Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Everybody worries. In fact, worry can be helpful. It allows us to anticipate problems and refine our thinking — for example, checking you have your passport before heading to the airport.

However, when worry becomes constant, excessive, and driven by catastrophic thinking, it can become unhelpful and exhausting. This pattern of persistent worry is commonly associated with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

To illustrate how worry works, and how it can take over everyday life, let’s look at a well-known case study in worry.

Mr Worry: A Case Study in Chronic Worry

Roger Hargreaves, creator of the Mr Men series, wrote a deceptively insightful story called Mr Worry. (The TV version is beautifully narrated by Arthur Lowe.)

“Poor Mr Worry.

Whatever happened, he worried about it.

If it rained, he worried that his roof was going to leak.

If it didn’t rain, he worried that all the plants in his garden were going to die…”

Mr Worry worries about shopping, money, forgetting things, buying too much, and even where to put his shopping once he gets home. No matter the outcome, his mind immediately finds something else to worry about.

“Life was one long worry for poor Mr Worry.”

Living in Your Head: The Cost of Excessive Worry

Mr Worry spends most of his life in his head rather than fully engaging in the world around him. He worries about people, but doesn’t spend time with them. As a result, he feels lonely and disconnected.

This is often what happens with chronic worry and anxiety. Life becomes dominated by mental activity — analysing, predicting, and preparing for threats that may never arrive.

Why Reassurance Alone Doesn’t Stop Worry

In the story, Mr Worry meets a kind wizard who encourages him to write down all his worries. The wizard promises to take care of them, and Mr Worry feels immediate relief.

But a few days later, Mr Worry wakes up feeling anxious again.

Why?

Because now he has nothing to worry about.

The wizard has focused on the content of Mr Worry’s worries, not the process of worrying itself. Without understanding what maintains worry — and without learning alternative strategies — the anxiety simply returns in a new form.

This is a common experience for people who worry excessively. Reassurance helps briefly, but the worry cycle quickly restarts.

Signs You May Be Worrying Too Much

People who struggle with excessive worry often experience a range of emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms, including:

  • Feeling constantly on edge

  • Fatigue and poor sleep

  • Difficulty concentrating or a blank mind

  • Irritability and tension

  • Difficulty relaxing

  • Indecisiveness

  • Expecting the worst

  • Moving rapidly from one worry to another

  • Feeling out of control or overwhelmed

  • Reduced productivity and efficiency

  • Low confidence and mental “muddledness”

While everyone worries occasionally, most people reserve worry for genuinely significant issues. In contrast, chronic worry spreads across many areas of life.

Left unaddressed, persistent worry and anxiety can be undermining, exhausting, and may increase the risk of depression, sometimes appearing to come “out of the blue”.

Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Worry is a core process across many anxiety disorders, but it is most prominent in Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

  • GAD affects approximately 1 in 20 people

  • Worry tends to involve a stream of “What if?” thoughts

  • There is often no resolution or sense of closure

Worry is frequently triggered by uncertainty, alongside the assumption that:

  • The worst will happen

  • We won’t cope if it does

In reality, the future often surprises us — and usually, we cope, sometimes with support.

Worry Gets You Moving — But Not Forward

Worry has often been compared to a rocking chair:

  • It keeps you busy

  • It feels like you’re doing something

  • But it doesn’t actually take you anywhere

Perhaps Mr Worry has only one real problem — he worries too much.

Effective Treatment for Chronic Worry and GAD

The good news is that there is a highly effective, empirically supported psychological treatment available.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Generalised Anxiety Disorder (CBT for GAD) helps people:

  • Understand how worry is maintained

  • Reduce unhelpful worry habits

  • Develop problem-solving skills

  • Learn to tolerate uncertainty

  • Build confidence in coping with the future

Rather than trying to eliminate all worries, CBT focuses on changing the relationship with worry, so it no longer runs your life.

Final Thoughts

Worry is part of being human. But when worry becomes constant, uncontrollable, and exhausting, it may be time to look not at what you’re worrying about — but how worry itself is operating.

With the right support, it’s possible to step out of the worry cycle and return to a fuller, more present life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin Coxall