Megan Ladd | The Joy Coach

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Caught in a Worry-Loop? Here's Your Exit Strategy

Do you sometimes find yourself in a spiral of what if's and worst-case scenarios?

I first heard the term “negative future fantasy” when I was studying Spiritual Psychology. This is essentially what we create when our brains go down rabbit holes and paint entire scenes of what it will be like when our fears become our realities.

I’ll never forget my teacher saying, “You might as well win in your own fantasies!”

It was such an a-ha moment for me — seeing the ways in which I’d been LOSING in my own fantasies. And for what?? What was the payoff?

My mind thought it was protecting me by preparing me for disappointment. But really I was just creating feelings of disappointment and defeat ahead of time.

When we entertain these negative future fantasies, not only do we rob ourselves of the present moment's joy, but we also energetically align with outcomes we don't desire.

The tricky part is that worry is SO convincing. It feels so real, so important. It disguises itself as an essential part of our mental process, providing us with a false sense of control.

In reality, it's a loop that drains our precious energy without yielding any productive results.

Unlike like sadness or anger or grief, it doesn’t move through us. It just keeps spinning, over and over, until we decide to stop the cycle.

And that, my friend, is the ultimate power move right there: deciding to stop.

It's simple in theory, but it takes quite a bit of focus and self-restraint to practice in real-time. Especially when worrying is our default way of thinking.

Here's what I recommend keeping in mind the next time you find yourself worrying and want to stop it in its tracks:

Remember that...

  1. Worrying is essentially praying for what you don't want (and you might as well win in your own fantasies!)

  2. Worrying leads to less energy, positive momentum, and results (truly a net-negative)

  3. There is nothing wrong with you for worrying in the first place, and it's okay if rerouting your mind feels hard in the moment. You're simply paving a new mental pathway!

Even if it takes significant effort up front, take it from me: you will be amazed at the amount of energy you get back — at what you’re able to create — in worry’s place.

To your best, most worry-free life yet,

Megan

P.S. If you're serious about kicking worry to the curb as quickly and easily as possible, click here to set up a time for us to explore working together.

I'm here to help you free up tons of energy, and run your life and business feeling Taylor Swift Eras Tour levels of sparkly confidence, power, and FUN!