That thought then takes hold of you—day in, day out. It grows and grows, despite its invalidity, starting from nothing but our insecurities and vivid imaginations. With no real threat in front of us and instead of directing our efforts to deal with our imaginary demon, we sit in a corner and bring up the thought over and over again. Over time, we

Being haunted by worries day and night is a heavy burden to carry. Some degree of worry can be useful because it might make it more likely that we will pay attention and make better decisions. But nonstop worrying, worrying that eats up so much of our attention and brainpower, can’t possibly be useful.

three W’s of worry: warnings, what-ifs, and worst-case scenarios?