As humans, we are brilliant at imagining disaster. Catastrophising.
It’s what kept your ancestors alive. You’ve your life to thank for it.
If something rustled in the bushes, your super cautious great x several thousand generations grandma assumed the worst and scarpered.
The one who shrugged and thought ‘It’s probably nothing’ doesn’t have grandkids x several thousand generations reading this.
The dangers have changed but your brain is still running some of that ancient survival software.
Catastrophising is fast.
Reality is slow.
Your brain can invent ten possible disasters in seconds, long before the truth has had time to arrive.
Yesterday my daughter took her cat to the vet. She was worried sick. That’s my daughter, not the vet. Later in the morning the phone rang.
‘Duchess is out of the anaesthetic,’ the nurse said. ‘The vet can see you at four o’clock and explain what they did.’
That was it. No more detail.
Immediately your mind starts filling the gaps.
Why do I need to wait until four?
What did they find?
Is there something serious they need to discuss?
By the time four o’clock arrived there had already been multiple imagined outcomes, none of them particularly cheerful.
Then she met the vet. And… of course everything was fine.
This is how catastrophising works. Your brain fills empty space with dramatic possibilities.
It’s just your brain is trying to protect you assuming the worst so you can prepare for it.
The trouble is that imagination runs much faster than reality.
Test this. The next time you notice yourself catastrophising, pause and ask three questions:
What do I actually know?
What am I guessing?
What is the true most likely outcome?
Most of the time you’ll discover that the story in your head is far worse than the reality that eventually arrives.
Be Brilliant!
Michael
0 Comments