The “what ifs”

Last night my daughter was having a panic attack over a homework problem. Mel was trying to explain the solution, and Norah wasn’t getting it, and finally I said “how about we skip this one and you can ask your teacher tomorrow.”

She started to breathe heavily, and said “but what if he can’t explain it. And what if I never get it, and then I can’t finish the assignment, and I won’t be able to turn it in.”

She went on like this for quite a while, and all I could think about is how I do this exact same thing all the time. It’s one of those elements of having anxiety that isn’t often discussed. I want to say it’s referred to as “worst case scenario thinking.” Or at least that’s what my old therapist called it.

But internally I called it “the what if’s.”

(If you find value in these emails, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber for only $5 a month. Paid subscribers get access to all archived newsletters along with an additional newsletter each week.)