Non-worriers are able to look at a problem and recognize what solution needs to be implemented, but a worrier isn't able to get that kind of distance and imagine the individual occurrence becoming a pattern.

This helps to keep them in the present by steering their focus away from a hypothetical issue that could develop down the road.

Research indicates that the brains of positive thinkers are less active than those of the negative thinkers/worriers when looking at anxiety inducing images. It was also found that trying to think positively further activated the brain of worriers.

Non-worriers are able to distance themselves from a situation in order to gain perspective. Worriers can do that too by thinking of all the worst possible scenarios, and evaluating their likelihood of happening.

Worrying can spin out of control until the thing you're worried about is 10 steps removed from your immediate issue. But it is important to figure out what the real problem is in order to stop the worry cycle.

One reason why people engage their worry is they tried to solve problem immediately and start anticipating and planning against possible outcomes. It grabs attention off of other more pressing matters.

A worrier would likely only think of the worst-case scenario, while a non-worrier would have the capacity to think that there could be a positive outcome to a negative event.

Worriers can decrease anxiety by asking themselves the following:

Severe chronic worriers are less accepting of their emotions, meaning they're intolerant of uncertainty and negative emotions.

Non-worriers are more likely to test out solutions despite the risk of bad outcomes and are more flexible in the way they think about things, so they don't get stuck in a negative thinking rut.