For any feared outcome, ask yourself:
- Is it possible the feared outcome will occur? (evidence for, evidence against)
- Is it probable the feared outcome will occur? (evidence for, evidence against)
- If indeed the feared outcome were to occur, is it likely to be as devastating as I anticipate it would be?
- If indeed the feared outcome were to occur and it turned out to be as devastating as feared, am I underestimating my capacity to handle it, in the moment that it occurs and in its aftermath—that is, my capacity to work through it, learn from it, make meaning out of it in time, even find a sense of purpose from it? What strengths and capacities do I already possess that I may be underestimating might help me through this feared scenario?
What is the greatest struggle I have ever overcome? How did I get through it? What helped the most? What else? What else? What else? What did I learn about myself, and how have I grown, from having survived and endured it? What meaning—even purpose—have I made from it? How might I apply what I learned from that struggle to the current one? What are all the things I have yet to try that I can imagine might help in the current scenario?
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