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How to Overcome the Repetitive Negative Thoughts of "What If"
Learn to Cope with a Lack of Control or knowledge of an Outcome in Your Life
The human brain is constantly trying to make sense of the world and our place in it. As we move forward, some people become concerned about making decisions over which we have little or no control. People try to gain control of the result by generating hypothetical scenarios based on their experiences. This is known as the "what if" thinking pattern.
Some people meditate or become obsessed with their "What If "thinking. The more important the outcome of the decision is, the more intense the "What if "thought" becomes.
Suppose someone with "What If" anxiety can make a decision or becomes immobilized because they feel so overwhelmed. Then they can go down the rabbit hole of "What if ?" thinking and become depressed. This usually happens when one is a perfectionist.
For example, if someone with "What If "thinking decides to take one job over another, a sequence of thoughts can go similar to this, what if I don't know how to do the job? What if I need to remember the things I forgot for the job? What if my boss doesn't like me? What if I get fired? People can repeatedly ruminate or obsess on these thoughts for hours.