69. Dealing with the stress of anticipating disasters around every corner

How often do you assume the worst-case-scenario when facing a difficult situation?

When was the last time someone invited you to a party, and you started worrying about it months in advance?

Do you stress about situations that have not happened yet?

Anybody can learn how our minds work and how to work with them. When we are dealing with worries, anxieties, fears, we all play-it-safe. You might be playing it safe. If you get stuck thinking of doom and gloomy scenarios, you may find yourself asking others what to do in order for you to not make any more mistakes.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Sally Winston, Psy.D., an anxiety expert. She and I discuss different skills to manage those thoughts - the future-oriented ones - and those moments in which you get stuck in imagination. 

As you listen to this episode, you will learn actionable skills to stop worrying about what might happen and live fully in the moment. 

Key Takeaways

• What is anticipatory anxiety
• How to handle those moments when your imagination hijacks you
• Three different levels of fear
• The difference between rumination and planning
• How to shift from “what if” to “what is”
• Dr. Winston’s metaphor of how to handle uncertainty
• The opposite of uncertainty … is not what you think it is …
• Metacognitions
• Productive thinking versus unproductive thinking

(*) Show notes and resources of this episode

(*) Receive free weekly science-based, compassionate, and actionable skills to stop ineffective playing-it-safe

(*) Figure out your playing-it-safe profile in 5 minutes and identify the key thinking strategies that keep you living in your head

(*) Learn ACT skills for anxious achievers by taking Dr. Z. ACT courses

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