Tool no 5. See things in perspective

Learn to work with the worst thing that can happen.

When dealing with a stressful situation, it is easy to go to the worst possible scenario and stick to it, magnifying it in your mind.

This process is called catastrophizing and it is a common irrational thought.

Catastrophizing means believing that if the most negative possible scenario occurs, it will be the worst thing that can happen to you. 

Catastrophizing is one of the reasons why we tend to avoid stressful situations and this tool will help you see things in perspective.

So with this tool, you will have a quick method to manage your worst scenario.

Let’s go:

Pick a situation that you want to do and describe your scenarios: 

I will start the presentation and I will stutter and everybody will judge me. 

Worst: what is the worst thing that could happen.

Everybody will think badly of me, they will avoid me and stare at me during the presentation. 

Likely. What is the most likely thing that could happen?

Probably some will notice, some won’t and some will empathize with me because they feel the same. 

Perspective. How likely is it that you will forget this situation and be okay in 1 week / 1 month / 1 year? 

I will most likely don’t remember this in 1 month. Maybe in a week, it will still be disturbing, but my life will go on and other areas of my life will still be there, even if I don’t do this perfectly.

That’s all. Try this tool next time you get flooded by the worst possible scenario.