The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
Worry predictions aren’t based on what’s likely to happen. They’re based on what would be terrible if it did happen. They’re not based on probability—they’re based on fear.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
what you worry about, the specific content of your worrisome thoughts, isn’t usually all that important. What’s most important is how you relate to your worrisome thoughts, whatever their content may be.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
When are we motivated to distract ourselves from unpleasant and worrisome thoughts? When we’re not facing a clear and present danger.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
We will also do better when we can recognize the worry thoughts as signs of nervousness and anxiety, the same as an eye twitch or sweaty palms, rather than some important message about the future.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
worry is based on ideas of what “would be bad” rather than what is likely.
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
research on the subject of thought suppression2 clearly shows that the main effect of thought suppression is a resurgence of the thoughts
David Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
Chronic worry doesn’t alert you to problems that need solving. It interferes with problem solving. If you experience chronic worry, your attention is focused on unlikely hypothetical future disasters, rather than current situations that require a solution. Chronic worries don’t get solved because there really isn’t anything to solve. The worry just
... See moreDavid Carbonell • The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It
The chronic relationship with worry is one in which you really care, all too much, about the worries, and try again and again to reform them.