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Do you expect the worst possible outcome?
Should you expect the worst?
Can you be disappointed if you expect the worst?
What happens if you keep expecting the worst?
Mar 13, 2024 · When you expect the worst possible outcome in any situation, you’ll never be disappointed with the result. This mindset helps you approach life with a pragmatic and realistic perspective. Lower Your Expectations; The more you expect, the more potential there is for disappointment.
- sanjupradeepa@believeinmind.com
- Notice it. The first step to change is almost always awareness. The next time something doesn’t go as planned, try observing the content of your thoughts.
- Name it. Psychiatrist and author Dan Siegel suggests that you “name it to tame it.” Although catastrophizing can be extremely uncomfortable, I’ve often felt grateful that it has a name.
- Counterbalance. When imagining the worst-case scenario, try asking yourself the following three questions. The point isn’t to rip off our worst-case-scenario binoculars.
- Dialogue with your mind. In over 15 years of working with humans towards positive behavior change, I’ve never seen someone change because I told them to.
- Acknowledge How Busy People Are
- Stay Busy Yourself
- Take A Dose of Muscle Medicine … Or Meditate!
- Take Steps Toward A Solution
- Phone A Friend
When you don’t see results or receive a response from someone else in (what you think should be) a timely manner, it’s easy to get upset and jump to the worst possible conclusion: “He doesn’t want to work with me. She isn’t interested in going out on another date. I didn’t get the job.” And so on and so forth. But wait a second. Maybe the current r...
You can’t always control how long you have to wait on an outcome, or even what that outcome is. But you can control how you wait. You can torture yourself by dwelling on negative possibilities … or you can distract yourself by staying focused on and engaged in other things.
You likely have heard about the “runner’s high” — this is a real feeling — and it can help you to stop expecting the worst. That’s because exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins also decrease the amount of stress hormones — like cortisol — in your body. In fact, various studies have shown that exercise can ...
When you find yourself expecting a particular negative event — however likely or unlikely it might be — ask yourself if there is anything you can do to prepare for or even prevent it. In many cases, you’ll be able to take concrete steps toward a solution. Not only will you be keeping yourself busy, you’ll also be moving from helplessness to empower...
This “lifeline” can really help! The next time you catch yourself ruminating on just how bad things are going to get, pick up the phone and call someone you trust: your spouse or a friend, for example. Specifically, ask this person to help you think of several alternative outcomes, which, by definition, can’t be as bad as the worst-case scenario yo...
- Todd Patkin
Sep 6, 2022 · Why you expect the worst. The traumatized brain is tasked with keeping you safe at all cost. That's why it starts expecting the worst as a coping mechanism. If you were a child who rarely got what you wanted, you would learn to downplay your expectations as a way to avoid bitter disappointment.
Oct 27, 2023 · Key Takeaways. Catastrophic thinking is the habit of always assuming the worst possible outcome in any situation. Childhood experiences, relationship patterns, and personality disorders can contribute to the development of catastrophic thinking.
Apr 30, 2024 · With this cognitive distortion, we may make negative predictions, often expecting the worst possible outcome (catastrophic thinking). We might also assume we know what others think or feel without evidence—a cognitive distortion called mind-reading.
When I see that the worst that can happen isn't all that bad, it allows me to be more mindful about what emotion is driving my decisions, and helps me move past the fear that is holding me back. Going through the worst case scenario can also reveal that it is far from the likeliest outcome.
