We all have those days or times when we hit a trough. Doubt creeps in and our minds spiral with what ifs.
Staying positive in these time is critical to making good decisions. Here are some questions to ask yourself when things seem to be spiraling in a negative direction.
What else could it be?
Am I thinking of the worst case scenario?
What’s the best case scenario?
What can I do immediately to make myself more confident?
What different perspectives could I take to understand how others see things differently?
How can my strengths inform how I will respond?
Make this process really interesting by keeping a log of these in a lined journal. Just use really short sentences. Name the problem, what you thought about it and by asking even one of these questions, how you moved forward. By looking over a log of your assumptions, you’ll see patterns you were unaware of, thinking that you may want to shift, knee-jerk reactions that can be transformed by a consistent, positive response.
I keep a journal of things similar to this but not in a handwritten form: I can’t re-read whatever it is I might have written (very bad penmanship).
So, my lists are in Word or Excel files and are usually accessible on my phone for whenever I get a new or updated thought.