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Does anyone else always worry about the absolute worst case scenarios?

TLDR: Does anyone else always worry about the absolute worst case scenarios?
In the forum thread, users discuss their experiences with anxiety, particularly focusing on irrational fears and scenarios that are highly unlikely to occur. Martee initiates the conversation by sharing how their anxiety manifests in worrying about improbable events, like a volcanic eruption in England. This worry significantly impacts their daily functioning, though the actual scenarios are unrealistic. PGen98 relates to Martee's experience, describing their own irrational fears that arise even in simple situations like entering a takeaway. They note that such fears are common among individuals with anxiety and can persistently affect one’s mood and activities. Martee responds by sharing a personal experience of getting mugged, which has led to ongoing fears of being attacked. They note that while some fears have diminished over time, the anxiety remains a significant part of their life, though they are fortunate enough to manage it without medication. Harry and Nomad contribute by discussing how the anticipation of negative outcomes, not just the scenarios themselves, amplifies their anxiety. They describe being overwhelmed by catastrophic thoughts in everyday situations. Soulwatcher adds to the discussion by sharing their recurring fear of being trapped in a fire due to living on a higher floor. Overall, the thread highlights a common struggle among individuals with anxiety, where irrational fears based on highly unlikely events can lead to significant distress and impact daily life. Users empathize with each other's experiences and discuss the persistent nature of such fears, even when recognizing their improbability.
Martee

Martee

With my anxiety, it seems to manifest in ways of worrying about scenarios that are probably 99% not going to happen. I'm talking like a volcano erupting lava around me as I stand in the middle of England, miles and miles away from the nearest such volcano. Oftentimes, I find myself getting so wound up in my own head over such silly scenarios that it stops me from doing what I need to be doing, if only for a few minutes. However, that worry -and I presume - the 'rush' and adrenaline from such a worry stays with me for longer. Does this happen to anyone else?
 
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Oh absolutely! I think most people that have anxiety issues struggle with fear of the irrational, it's quite common to wonder about 'what ifs' and whether this is going to happen, or if I do that will it result in something horrible happening? I can't even go into a takeaway to pick up food without fearing that, if there's more than one person inside, my life is somehow in jeopardy, which isn't even remotely logical. It does get the heart pumping and it makes you irrationally anxious for a long period afterward. It's something I believe most people with anxiety issues deal with on a fairly common basis, sadly.
 
Thanks for your reply @PGen98 - I totally understand your example of popping into the takeaway and fearing, I can certainly relate! Every time I walk down the road to my workplace, I always fear that anyone I see on the way is going to turn around and stab me or something. I think that particularly stems from when I got mugged a while ago but the more 'out there' fears have become less frequent as time goes on, as do most things I suppose. I'm lucky in that I don't need to medicate myself to cope with this so I always feel for those who do as I imagine their fears/anxiety must be worse than mine!
 
Martee said:
Thanks for your reply @PGen98 - I totally understand your example of popping into the takeaway and fearing, I can certainly relate! Every time I walk down the road to my workplace, I always fear that anyone I see on the way is going to turn around and stab me or something. I think that particularly stems from when I got mugged a while ago but the more 'out there' fears have become less frequent as time goes on, as do most things I suppose. I'm lucky in that I don't need to medicate myself to cope with this so I always feel for those who do as I imagine their fears/anxiety must be worse than mine!
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Wow, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that experience, and I can absolutely understand how it would make you anxious to walk down the road after that! Hopefully this fear does indeed diminish in time, as I'm sure it's hard one to cope with! Anxiety in general is not fun, but when it stems from a past experience and fear of it happening again, it brings back that horrible imagery to make it worse. You're right, it is nice that you don't need to medicate for your anxiety and can cope without it, that's a great sign and it seems you have everything well in hand to manage moving forward.
 
What actually inflates the emotions is not the scene itself. But the fear that engulfs us. We can get consumed by a small entity like an ant. What if.. comes to play all the time. And then the fear comes into play. It will double everything. The fear, the scenario, the details, the danger and the consequences. Sometime consequences worry us more.
 
This is one of the problems I am battling with. I always imagine being in the absolute worst-case scenarios. I imagine being robbed, I imagine being assaulted, I imagine being in a road accident. I don't know how these thoughts come to me, maybe these are just my mental reactions to stressful conditions.
 
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