In generalized anxiety disorder, the problem in thinking is perception of danger lurking everywhere. The strategy is to worry. And in fact, the generalized anxiety disordered client worries all of the time. They get caught up in their head imagining all the horrible possible things that could happen to themselves and to others that they care. Now the act of having a worrisome thought is not necessarily problematic.
What if I'm late? Right? That could be a concerning thought. It's what we do with that concerning thought that differentiates the GAD client from the non GAD client. The non GA client might think, what if I'm late? So what? There's nothing I can do about it. I have to deal with it if it happens. On the other hand, if I am a worrier, I now take that concerning thought and I perseverate over it.
What if I'm late? What if I'm late? I might be late. I'm gonna be late. Oh, no. What if I'm late? The act of worrying is persistent nagging thought. And the question is, is that helpful? Absolutely not. Does worrying rumatively prepare you for the situation? Does it problem solve? Does it equip you to handle it? Does it prevent harm?
Does it serve any purpose at all? Can't think of any. On the other hand, what's the downside to worrying? The downside is that it steals a lot of energy. You burn a lot of calories worrying, which means that you are fatiguing yourself. It exacerbates pain. It causes us to clench our muscles. TMJ, migraines, stomachaches, irritable bowel, back distress. It can affect our sleep, prevent us from going to sleep, wake us up in the middle of the night, keep us asleep, wake us up early.
Sleep deprivation is not in our best interest. So the act of worrying is completely unhelpful and it is the problem of generalized anxiety disorder.