Anxiety & Worst-Case Scenario Thinking
I started a conversation recently with my yoga students about anxiety and worst-case scenario thinking or catastrophising. This is what transpired...
Anxiety is often described as a feeling of fear or unease, and everyone experiences it at some stage in their life. It’s how we naturally respond to pressure (emotional, financial, physical…) but it can become a problem if we start worrying a lot about small stuff or relatively harmless situations. I am not sure which comes first: anxiety or worst-case scenario thinking. It feels like they are mutually reinforcing.
Travelling: A Powerful Trigger
According to my students ‘experience, travelling is a powerful trigger for both anxiety and worst-case scenario thinking… What if I get sick during my holiday or even worse during the flight? Did I lock the door properly before leaving the house? I hope our dogs will be fine with the pet-sitter. What if my credit card doesn’t work there? Did I pack enough warm clothes?
How likely are all these scenarios likely to happen? Not very often but the problem is that our brain is thinking in terms of possibility nor probability! So what can you do?
Useful Strategies
During our chat, we discovered that the way we were brought up often has an impact. Basically, if parents always envisaged the worst-case scenario, children might be more likely to castastrophise. Unfortunately blaming our dad or mum won’t help much.
Recognising the pattern however is far more productive, as we can then challenge these negative thoughts with questions like:
· What are the chances of this really happening?
· Have I been in a similar situation before? What happened?
· What is the best-case scenario?
For many years, my favourite mantra was ´Stop thinking of what could go wrong. Start thinking of what could go right.’ I think it definitely helped. So does being well-prepared, as long as you don’t start stressing about it.
My favourite tool: Breathwork
Finally I would also suggest my favourite tool: Breathwork. When you notice your mind going into catastrophe mode, pause. Take a moment to notice your breath as well as the sensations in your body. How does anxiety and catastrophising express themselves in your body?
Place a hand on your upper abdomen. Imagine a big balloon in your lower belly. As you inhale through the nose, feel the balloon inflate and as you exhale through the nose, feel the balloon deflate. Then take a full expansive inhale, still through the nose, and another shorter inhale through the nose and then slowly exhale through the mouth. Take 3 or 4 of these grounding breaths. You should feel less anxious and ready for a wonderful day!
If you would like to Take a Breath from time to time:
- Try one of my Breathwork classes on zoom (sign up here LINK)
- or join a free 10 minutes session every Thursday at 12.30 pm UK time (click here to join on Thursdays LINK).
Love
Veronique