Welcome to our all-new WorryTree app!
If you’ve installed or updated WorryTree recently then you’ll know we’ve made some really big changes - not just to the look and feel of our app but also to how it works, with some wonderful new features that we’re really proud of!
So today we’re going to break down the changes that we’ve made here, and introduce you to our new look WorryTree!
There are a number of unhelpful thinking styles that can regularly come up when we worry. They're unhelpful because they're negative and they can lead you into a downward spiral of worried thoughts. We know for sure that thoughts can create feelings, and so you can soon find yourself feeling anxious, triggered by these unhelpful thoughts, and the vicious circle begins.
Something that’s really common amongst us worriers and over-thinkers is that we often find uncertainty hard to cope with. We might view uncertain situations as particularly stressful, unfair or upsetting. We might try desperately to look into our crystal balls for signs of what the future holds. Will my partner leave me? Will my children grow up safe and happy? What if something awful happens to my... [fill in the blank]?
Seem familiar? People who have a low tolerance of uncertainty might show any or all of the following behaviours…
We all worry some of the time. Everyone does. It’s a natural, human survival skill that keeps us on our toes and alerts us to threats and danger. But for some of us, worrying can become a habit which can have a negative impact on our lives, our careers, our relationships and our dreams.
At its worst, habitual worrying can lead to a full blown anxiety disorder.
For many of us, worry is such a long term habit that we don’t even notice that it has become ingrained and excessive. Sometimes it takes a loved one, friend or colleague to call us out and highlight that they think our worrying might be a problem for us.
WorryTree began after a conversation in the car with my husband, when I asked him if he thought my worrying had a negative impact on our life together and he said yes.
Although worry had been a constant friend and companion for longer than I could remember, it was the first time anyone had really called me out on it.
Naturally that conversation sent me into a tailspin of worry but it was enough to send me off to the Doctors and for the first time to admit that it might actually be a problem.
I was referred for a series of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) sessions.
Social media can also be an incredibly supportive, inspirational space and we all need to take some responsibility to make healthy choices when we scroll, like, follow and connect. Instagram is a favourite at WorryTree HQ, and we've pooled together some of our favourite accounts we like to follow that inspire, motivate and help us feel less alone with our tendency to worry. In fact, there are so many inspiring accounts out there, it was hard to keep it down to just ten!
We've been thinking a lot lately at WorryTree HQ about our values and what we're trying to achieve by creating this app. We've created a simple Manifesto, which we think sums up what we're all about at WorryTree.
We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Simplicity - WorryTree is designed to be a simple and effective way to control worry based on recognised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques. We keep WorryTree's design simple so that you can focus on getting on with your day to day life.
Service - Providing a reliable and responsive service is at the heart of everything we do at WorryTree. If you have a question or some feedback, we will always respond to you as soon as possible and we aim to involve as many users as we can in our future development.
Encouragement - WorryTree was founded by worriers, for people who find themselves overwhelmed by worried and negative thoughts. We want users to feel encouraged and not alone when they are a part of the WorryTree community of users.
Habit-change - We believe that we can all make practical day-to-day changes that will help us to form new habits and that recording and problem solving your worried thoughts on a regular basis will help you to re-train your thought patterns and take control of worry.
We all worry from time to time. In fact, worrying can be a positive thing - making us aware of a threat in our environment and therefore helping us to react to that threat.
For many of us though, worrying can easily become chronic and excessive, and can result in serious mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. If you worry about a lot of things in your life, things that haven't happened, things that have, things that might, then your worrying can have a huge impact on your relationships, family, career, your wellbeing and your health.
