Experts In Their 50s And 60s Say These Things Help When Worry Feels Like Too Much

Worrying about things can feel like too much for people in their 50s and 60s. 

Let's say someone stole your kid's bike when they were young. You naturally worried about replacing it and the cost. Maybe a neighbor stole it, or someone else you socialize with, but someone you know stole it, you are sure.  You stared at all of them suspiciously as they passed by, and your stress levels rose. 

If you were in a good emotional place, you soon came to terms with the loss, you comforted your kid, and moved on, either with or without a bicycle. However, as we get older, we sometimes just can't let go. It's the principle of the thing, and you wonder who you can even trust anymore?

Worry leads to stress, and stress can lead to depression in older adults. The National Institute on Aging has suggested that depression in older adults is not a normal part of aging, but it can be hard to spot because it often looks like physical pain, numbness, or loss of interest rather than just sadness.

Experts in their 50s and 60s say these things help when worry feels like too much:

1. People in their 50s and 60s recognize that worry tends to snowball into stress

Worry is what happens in your brain before your body responds with physical and emotional symptoms of stress. Many people in their 50s and 60s have a problem just relaxing, and the issue often begins with excessive worrying.

Researchers have found that some people may strategically choose worrying over relaxing. People with anxiety often find sudden shifts in emotion uncomfortable, such as moving from calm to stressed. This emotional shift can make them feel more anxious during activities meant to help them relax, such as meditation or deep breathing.

2. They gently interrupt the cycle of worry

Jacek Chabraszewski via Shutterstock

Start by regulating your thoughts to stop the worry wheel. Try the rubber band trick. Put a rubber band on one wrist and snap it every time worry creeps into your head. You should feel an ouch. It's supposed to hurt a little to ping your brain.

Being in your 50s or 60s has an advantage in terms of regulating emotions. Studies have shown that older adults worry less than younger people. The older we get, the better we are at accepting uncertainty in life and not believing worry is useful. As a result, people generally stress less in late adulthood because they are more comfortable with the unknown and see less value in fretting.

3. People in their 50s and 60s become more aware of how much they worry

You may be shocked to realize how many times one specific thought fills your day. A study explored everyday worries to show how people with anxiety tend to constantly keep their stress levels high. This constant worry acts as a buffer to help them avoid sudden drops into unhappiness if something bad happens. It functions as a coping mechanism where feeling bad on purpose keeps them from feeling unexpectedly worse.

Now that you know, you can block that thought. Keep snapping the rubber band until the ouches pay off, and you stop obsessing. Research has indicated that chronic worry, anxiety, and overthinking accelerate brain aging in people over 50, making their brains appear older on scans. A study of 78 adults found that higher anxiety and constant worrying are linked to lower gray matter volume, a sign of premature aging. 

4. They recognize a growing need for stability and peace

As people age, research has found that their brains can lose the ability to create certain types of cells, leading to memory gaps. Specifically, the brain stops replacing "inhibitory" cells, the cells that act like a braking system to calm mental activity. A lack of inhibitors in the aging brain can cause it to become hyperexcited or overly stressed. This constant high-stress state disrupts the ability to turn off anxiety responses, and in some cases, leads to generalized anxiety disorder in elderly people.

People in their 50s and 60s who know how to keep worrying from feeling like too much know all that stress does not replace a stolen bicycle or pay a mortgage. But laughing while scrolling through endless shorts of kittens and doggies? Yes, that will help! Laughter therapy and other moments of levity definitely smooth some of life's pesky wrinkles. You're never too old to melt over animals online. 

Dr. Gloria Brame, Ph.D., is a board-certified therapist who focuses on helping adults overcome both functional and emotional problems from a progressive perspective.

Will Curtis is YourTango's expert editor. Will has over 14 years of experience as an editor covering relationships, spirituality, and human interest topics.