What if There’s a Tiger Over There…
Okay and…
What if the upcoming meeting with your boss is about letting you go?
What if there’s a car accident and your three-hour buffer before your plane isn’t enough?
What if something happens to your house while on vacation?
What if you make a mistake?
What if you’re rejected?
What if…..what if…..what if….
It’s best to plan, and prepare for all that could go wrong, all the “what ifs”. Your ability to imagine the worse is one of your strongest attributes and proper planning has saved you from pain in the past. Thinking of all that could go wrong is just being a realist, and there’s far less pain to be felt when you plan for the worse instead of it sneaking up on you. You’re just being vigilant.
Vigilance can be a good characteristic trait; however, hyper-vigilance can cause more damage than prevention. When you start seeing tigers behind every tree, hearing wolves howling on the wind and finding future events frightening is when it’s gone from helpful to harmful.
Seeing the metaphorical tiger behind every tree has you wasting energy on shadows while firing up your nervous system for tigers that aren’t even there. If your future planning is motivated by fear and anxiety that’s when you’ll need to step back and take a few breaths.
Breathe and realize just how much pain you’re feeling from those anxious thoughts and fearful questions of “what could happen”. When you really do not know what will happen, but only allow yourself to think of the worst, you’re experiencing the emotions you’re hoping to avoid by planning for them. Your fear of the future is robbing you of your present, and it could be affecting your relationships as well. Those closest to you may be taken on your ‘what if’ ride, causing them to feel some of that anxiety and fear. Your skepticism of others leaves your circle of support small. Your need to prepare and the energy spent doing so, could have you not even wanting to take action, and you would rather forgo an experience then have to prepare for it.
Fear is not the emotion you want dictating your future. Fear is not the emotion you want behind the decisions you make. Fear does not allow for clarity and discernment. Fear will have you spiraling down instead of lifting you up. Prepare with a sense of calm and acceptance. Navigate to the future and wonder how much any of it would truly matter in thirty years. Believe in yourself and your ability to handle whatever comes your way. Let love and faith play bigger roles in your decisions and life. Breathe and remind yourself, you can only live in the present moment and that’s where most of your focus, love and attention will be placed.