Benefits of habit “Stop thinking of worst-case scenarios”

✓ Reduces stress and anxiety
✓ Increases sense of optimism
✓ Increases sense of wanderlust
✓ Helps maintain relationships by communicating with people

First step:

Once a day

Progress:

1. Today, whenever you feel the worst-case scenario building in your head before an event, consciously put it aside and look over the positive outcomes instead. Do this every day for a week or whenever the opportunity arises.
2. Next week, before you even start thinking of things that could go wrong, first focus on positives of any event you worry about.
3. Keep this up until you stop worrying about worst-case scenarios altogether.

Helpful tips to make it a habit:

✓ Trigger your mind. Although you can’t plan when your mind will default to counting all the possible wrongs, you can give your mind a “kick” to stop it. Carry around a small stress ball or learn to clench your fist three times after which you will stop the flow of negative thoughts.
✓ Let the app help. A reminder on this app can ring you up every morning to remind you to worry less and enjoy things as they happen more.
✓ Reward yourself. Once you’ve gone a month of successfully stopping yourself from building worst-case scenarios, celebrate your new outlook with a completely new activity or event you’ve never tried before. Not only will you pick up a new experience, but you will also exercise your new habit and not worry about it!

Tips for beginners:

✓ Observe yourself. What makes you worry? How did it start? Was it one bad experience that makes you worry all the time? Are you conscious of yourself or something about you that makes you afraid of new situations? Dig deep, find the reason that’s plaguing you and work with it.
✓ Change focus. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, start thinking of all the things that will go right, the things you will learn and experience. Learn to look at the more positive side of life.