Anxiety Before the News

You know the feeling when you're waiting on something very important? You look at the time and think about different outcomes. Signs of anxiety become more obvious. But, have you ever thought about what happens to your body when anxiety strikes? 

Psychology Today magazine shared an article by Dr. Art Markman, where he describes a study that examined people's behaviors as they waited for decisions. One of the behaviors that went along with anxiety was, rumination, which means thinking about something over and over again, like why you were anxious and then you worry about "what if." In his article, "What Happens When You Are Waiting For News?",  Dr. Markman explains, "the more anxiety people experienced, the more they tended to ruminate." 

This is just an example of what happens. However, someone's behavior is based on their tolerance. For example, 'the more tolerant your are of uncertainty, the less you worry about things getting done'. So it's all really based on personality. Even in psychology and studies of the brain, we can only reach one outcome. Stop worrying so much! Dr. Art Markman concludes his article with the following message,

"...when the time for getting the news is very close, it is hard to avoid thinking about it. At that point, you might want to spend at least a little time planning for what you will do if things do not go your way. It can be helpful to have at least the outline of a plan for what will happen if you get bad news. But, there is no point in starting that planning process too early."

Clicke here to read Dr. Art Markman's full article.