Are you sick and tired of an overactive mind that doesn't seem to turn off leaving you exhausted and feeling 'wired' a lot of the time?
Do you think about something that happened or should have happened and within the blink of an eyelid you've created a monster 'story' in your head? And then to make make worse you add lots of fuel to the fire by thinking of all the worst things that could happen?
It might go something like this:
You are thinking of an experience with a client that didn't go so well, you feel bad about what you said and how things ended up, you see yourself having a discussion with your boss that gets out of control, you lose your job, you feel ashamed, you're out on the streets looking for work, you can't pay for the holiday that's planned, you feel you've let the family down, your relationship falls apart, and you're living rough!!!
Catastrophizing - this is when we imagine the worst possible thing that could happen and that we will not be able to cope!
How do you challenge this “catastrophizing”?
By rethinking your worries, using your problem-solving skills and asking yourself some questions,
for example -
• How bad is the client experience REALLY?
• What’s the worst that could happen about it?
• What could I do to cope if that did happen?
• Will it make a difference in my life in a week or year from now?
So start challenging your worrisome thinking by:
1.DEALING WITH THE FACTS!
2.Writing them down
3.Asking yourself the questions
PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE!!
This is the third article in an educational series about 'Men in Business with Anxiety'.
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