How much energy have you wasted by pre-worrying?
- The boss called a meeting for Friday afternoon, and you fear for your job, even though you don’t know the agenda.
- It’s the start of the quarter, but already you are concerned about making your goals.
- A loved one has medical tests, and you fret about the possibilities before you learn the results.
- Your route takes you through a major city, and you worry that traffic will be bad even before you encounter it.
- You have just learned your project team, but are already stressed out about how you will work together.
There are certainly times when worry is warranted, but those situations come after something has occurred, not before it. You’ll have much less stress if you train your brain to dismiss thoughts of angst about hypothetical concerns.
