when the distraction doesn’t work, you’re left with having to come up with another solution. This can lead to more worrying, and that worry thinking becomes its own trigger. Not much of a reward, is it? And here’s the kicker: even though worrying doesn’t work, our old brain keeps trying. Remember, our brain’s job is to help us survive, and because at some point it linked problem-solving with worrying, it thinks worrying is the best way to go. Our brain keeps pulling that worry slot machine lever hoping that it will hit the solution jackpot.
