How often do the things you worry about actually come to pass?
Clinical studies tracking people’s worries in real time have found that the vast majority — often around 85–90% — never actually happen.*
It’s totally normal to worry when things feel uncertain. We all worry, myself included!
But when I catch myself worrying about the future, I remind myself of two things:
1. Worries are just made up, negative stories we tell ourselves. They haven’t happened yet.
2. Worries have lesser power over us if we convert them into risks, which helps us take action. Otherwise, we can get stuck ruminating over them.
Now, I’m not minimizing how worries can make us feel. Some are legitimate, some are not.
In this short video, I share the four questions that can help you convert your worries into risks, so you can take charge and step into the future quickly.
*For those of you interested, here’s the research: LaFreniere, L. S., Newman, M. G., & Castonguay, L. G. (2020). The predictive validity of worry: Do anxious individuals’ worries come true? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 129, 103611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2020.103611