Do you always think worst-case scenarios?
Anytime I’m uncertain about the future, I think worst-case scenarios. I don’t know why but I hardly think about the possibility of the good happening.
Something happened in January and I thought the worst would happen but the opposite did. So I started wondering why I always thought worst-case scenarios. Why not the best?
I got my answer in one of Dr Michaela’s newsletters to me. In that email, she spoke about the 8 types of overthinking.
The first type she addressed was worries about the future. And she opened it with this question:
How often do you pause to consider worst-case scenarios?
That was it. That was how I got my answer and realised thinking worst-case scenarios falls under a type of overthinking — worries about the future. And I also got to know how to deal with it (I’ll talk about it shortly).
If you’re someone who worries about the future, your default thought when you’re uncertain will be thinking about the worst possible outcome in any given situation.
You may want to think worst-case scenarios so that you can prepare for any outcome. For instance, if the worst happens, you know you expected it and prepared for it. And if it’s the opposite, you’ll be relieved — you won’t be disappointed.
However, good things also exist and there’s a possibility of the best happening instead of the worst. So when you’re uncertain, maybe you should consider thinking about the positive happening. That things could actually turn out well.
Good things exist and there’s a possibility of the best happening
Come to think of it. Thinking worst-case scenarios is actually not that you know for sure that the worst is going to happen.
It’s just a thought and thoughts aren’t facts. So there’s a possibility of the good happening contrary to what you thought.
In any uncertain situation, the outcome may be the worst or it may not be, and the opposite of that is the best, right?
So for a start, you can try to channel some energy to thinking about the possibility of something good happening, even if not the best.
Dealing with worries about the future
If you make conscious efforts to see the silver lining of each past or present moment, you can begin to develop an attitude where optimistic thoughts come more naturally. — Dr Michaela Dunbar, Clinical Psychologist & Founder, My Easy Therapy
As an overthinker who worries about the future, it may not be easy to just switch from thinking worst-case scenarios to thinking best-case scenarios or having a positive mindset. But gradually, you can condition your mind to think about the possibility of good outcomes by:
- Practicing gratitude — Think about the things you’re grateful for (no matter how small they are).
- Being present — Focus on the ‘now’. That way, you would worry less about what may or may not happen next.
We can’t always control what happens to us and we’ll not always know what’ll happen next. But in times of uncertainty, we can focus on the present and the good. That will help us worry less and minimise the “what ifs”.
To enjoying the ‘now’. 🥂
Originally published at https://dkpabitey.wixsite.com on March 9, 2023.
