When Your Mind Jumps to the Worst-Case-Scenario
This post is part of my Protect Series, where I explore how our brains keep us on alert and ways to work with that wiring. You can start here for the full series overview.
A few days ago I texted a friend and didn’t hear back.
Within minutes, my mind had written the whole story:
“She’s probably upset with me. Maybe I haven’t been showing up enough. What if she’s quietly pulling away? What if I’ve already lost her?!”
My chest tightened, my stomach knotted, and a low hum of worry filled the space behind my thoughts.
Your mind is a master storyteller. Give it a little uncertainty, or the hint of discomfort, and it’ll spin a whole novel out of it: plot twists, danger, heartbreak.
It’s not trying to torture you; it’s trying to protect you. When faced with uncertainty your brain rushes in to fill in the blanks. Often with the most cautionary endings.
By anticipating emotional pain, your mind is attempting to shield you from it — rehearsing hurt so you can try to avoid it and predicting loss to soften the blow.
But those imagined futures come at a cost. They steal your peace in the present, leaving you anxious and stuck in “what if.”
Try this:
When your mind starts spinning a story, as Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap, suggests:
Try naming it: “Ah, here’s the ‘Everyone’s mad at me’ story.”
Labeling it gives you just enough distance to see it for what it is — a story — and step back into what’s actually happening now.
If you often find yourself caught in loops of worry or overthinking, therapy can help you understand what’s happening beneath the surface and find steadier ways to quiet your mind. Together, we can explore tools to bring more calm, balance, and ease into your days.
