To ask how you stop worrying about the worst case scenario?

[anxiousmummaa]

I need some really good tips.

Sometimes I can rationalise with myself and other times I just cannot!

There’s always something with such a slim, remote chance of happening but I can’t get it out of my head. I always jump to worst case scenario.

Made a mistake at work? What if I lose my job, then what will I do?

Left the washing machine on? The fire service say not to do that, what if the house burns down

Forgot to wash my hands before making food? What if the whole family gets sick

It’s this kind of theme, but happening multiple times a week. I inflate the scenarios in my head to be worse than they are

I fixate on the worst case scenario when 9/10 I don’t even need to worry. Earlier I posted about worrying that I’d gossiped (thread withdrawn at my request) I posted in a panic but as it transpires I hadn’t actually gossiped at all and it was just a misunderstanding where the details were muddled, no harm done. Yet I am still worried about it. It’s totally irrational to be!

How do I get out of this worst case scenario type thinking? I find it so disabling!

Hugs. Nothing helpful to say, just ..you’re not alone!

Are you ND? It sounds a very typical ND thing to worry about all these sorts of things. I do it to some extent (ND).

Am I not supposed to put the washing machine on then go on the school run so it's ready to hang out when I get back? Or put it on at 5am so it's ready when I wake up? I'm worried now!

I checked the back door lock 4 times tonight even though I'd just locked it myself and only ds was upstairs in bed. I think that's quite normal but I worry about lots of things and can drive myself nuts. It sucks doesn't it

Get thee onto a risk assessment course - your employer might offer one.
Of course - this could lead on to promotions at work, too😉

Not diagnosed but have always suspected… I get 34 on the AQ test thing! It does suck. I relate on the checking things although I know that’s my OCD. I would just love to not have to worry!

They say you shouldn’t run any appliances while out or asleep but the reality must be that hundreds of people have the washing machine on, otherwise how would you get it all done? Can’t stay home for the length of the 3 hour cycle! X

Aw i head you I panic about everything. Sometimes I look up the odds of the thing not happening! Hope someone comes along with useful advice!

I had mild OCD, this sounds like that.

My husband was actually quite helpful “so what, the apartment burns down, it’ll probably burn down one day anyway”. It’s weirdly freeing, it made me feel like even if it does I’ll cope. I still unplug the drier though.

Haha!

That’s a good way of looking at it. I think I do have OCD

I try to work out solutions when I catastrophise to calm myself and remind myself that if the worse happens it’d be ok - so if the house caught fire we have insurance, if we got ill yes it’d be hard but we’d get over it, if I lost my job I’d find something else or downsize etc. it’s helped me put a lot of things in the category in my head of things I don’t have space to worry about

I did this when my parents were ill. Up and down the M4 like a fiddler's elbow
Literally sleepless nights worrying what I could do if one of a million different scenarios happened.
Then I just thought. There's no point. You just need to react to the situation that presents itself.
Slept well that night.

It doesn’t work in every scenario but try and counteract the catastrophising with the ‘best case’ scenario. Every time the worst case crops in you must actively replace it with the best case.

The best cases in some scenarios will seem wildly unlikely and ridiculous, but in reality they’re no more unlikely than the bad, we just condition ourselves to focus and become familiar with the bad.

Read dale carnegie.. how to stop worrying and start living

You can lessen risks. Look at simple ways to do this.

Btw, I am a bit anxious about stuff, maybe you do not worry about what I do. I worry about accidents and health, burglary. I try to put processes in place to mitigate what I can.

An appliance can have a fire alarm next to it with a loud sound if you are asleep.

This is classic OCD (with a possible ND mixed in), you need some professional help. See if there is a private psychologist in your area who specialises in working with ND. You don't need a formal diagnosis.