Overthinking 101: How to stop your brain’s wild 'what ifs'

Worst case scenarios: Your brain's own late night horror show

You know when you're lying in bed, and your brain decides it's time to start a mini horror show of "What If" scenarios?

Like what if you accidentally 'reply all' to that work team email with a sarcastic dancing cat gif, get fired on the spot, and end up living under a bridge with two pigeons named Harold and Beatrice 🐦

 Safekeeping or spiralling?

Anxiety, in its own annoying way, is just our brain trying to keep us safe, but instead, it often drags us into completely ridiculous, imaginary fears.  

These scenarios are about as real as finding the Loch Ness Monster in your neighbours' pond.

Yet somehow, your mind convinces you they're totally possible, leaving you spiralling over things that’ll never happen.

Step back and change the channel

Next time your brain pulls you into another episode of “What Could Go Wrong?”, take a step back, and recognise it for what it is, an anxiety spiral that will most likely never, ever happen.

Think about it.  

Of all the many, many things you've done in your life, how many of them had the absolute spectacularly worst nightmare of an outcome you could ever imagine?

I bet most of them were pretty average, right?

I bet some of them even turned out pretty great.

Treat those fake scenarios like the plot of a bad TV show and change the channel.

You’ve got better things to focus on, like which snacks to enjoy next ✨️