Anxiety and Your “What If Calculator”

Some universities provide a “what if calculator” to help students project possible grades. It provides the percentage they need on each test to get their desired grade at the end of the course. Based on what they would like their final grade to be, they can decide how much work and effort to put into studying for their final exam. If we all had a what if calculator to forecast our future, life would be so much easier! We could say we all are in a possession of a what if calculator. For many of us, that amazing thought-making machine works overtime. The problem is that though our mind means well, its calculations are not entirely accurate most of the time. Quite often, the predictions are worst-case scenarios that lead us to anxiety, avoidance, and behaviors that get in the way of living a more meaningful life. We cannot be too harsh towards our mind’s efforts — because its job is to protect us. When it perceives something is wrong, it counsels us to stay away from places, events, and situations that could harm us. In the beginning of time, our ancestors’ what if calculators were constantly anticipating catastrophic events. The need to deliberate about past or future events was crucial to their survival. If they had not adhered to the judgments their minds provided, they would not have survived, and we would not be here. Though we no longer encounter life-or-death occurrences like our progenitors did, our what if calculator continues to estimate our routes ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Habits Happiness Perfectionism Self-Help Stress Avoidance Catastrophizing Rumination Worry Source Type: blogs