In what ways could this turn out better than you expect?
Shift focus from what could go wrong to what could go right.
Sometimes, our minds get stuck replaying all the ways things could go wrong. In those moments, ask yourself:
🤔 In what ways could this turn out better than I expect?
Anxiety often shows up when we get stuck catastrophizing, excessively imagining all the ways things could go wrong, especially worst-case scenarios that probably won’t happen. Our minds have a negativity bias, a tendency to focus more on possible dangers than on positive outcomes. This bias helped our ancestors survive by keeping them alert to real threats, but today it often makes us worry about dangers that aren’t actually there. In those moments, the main source of our stress isn’t the outside world but our own imagination.
It’s normal to have concerns about the future now and then, but it becomes a problem when we dwell on them too much. We can break this pattern by asking how things might turn out better than we expect, not in a fantasy sense, but in realistic ways we’ve overlooked. This isn’t about ignoring real problems or pretending everything will work out. It’s about seeing other possibilities, good outcomes we might have missed because our minds were too focused on what could go wrong. The future is unpredictable, and most of what we fear never happens. Since we can’t know what’s ahead, this kind of overthinking only adds unnecessary stress.
When we worry excessively, our minds are like social media feeds that post only worst-case scenarios. When that happens, we miss the posts sharing hope and positive outcomes.
We can choose what we focus on. Accepting uncertainty as part of life helps us let go of trying to predict every outcome and frees us from getting stuck in worries about the future. Focusing on what we can control right now creates space to notice more balanced, realistic perspectives, and to be more hopeful about what’s ahead. This doesn’t mean challenges disappear, but it reduces unnecessary anxiety and opens the way to calmer, clearer thinking. Over time, shifting our attention like this helps us face the future with greater resilience and confidence.
Stop feeding worst-case scenarios and start looking for realistic good ones. Ask yourself:
🤔 In what ways could this turn out better than I expect?
