When you catch yourself overthinking an outcome that has yet to happen, we have a segment from our show for you to keep in your back pocket: our WAIT TO WORRY (or WTW) mantra.

Wait To Worry (WTW) [noun] The segment and mantra on our show where we practice not stressing about something until there’s actually something to stress about—choosing patience, perspective, and facts over spiraling into every “what if.”

We’ve all had those moments...a confusing text from a friend, a "we need to talk" from a partner, or a project that feels like it’s heading off the rails. Before we have a single fact, our brains have already packed a suitcase for a "Worst-Case Scenario" vacation. (Would that even be a vacation?)

Why Our 'Wait to Worry' Mantra Works:

Think of your mental energy like a backpack. You only have so much room in it for today’s actual tasks. When we worry about things that haven’t happened yet, we are stuffing our bags with heavy rocks for a hill we might never have to climb.

You're not telling yourself you CAN'T worry- you are just delaying it to make sure the worry is, well, warranted. You can use our WTW program segment to learn how to say to your brain "Hey brain... you can totally worry but let's hold on a second before we jump the gun."

It may seem kind of impossible to tell your brain to just wait... so here are some tips and thoughts that might help you use this tool:

1. Don't Carry the Maybe: You have the strength to handle today’s reality. You don't have the strength to carry a "maybe" that might never arrive.

2. Check the Facts: Our imagination is a great storyteller, but a terrible advisor. Wait for the facts to catch up to your feelings.

3. We Can't Dress Rehearse Tragedy: We can't pre grieve things- when a challenge comes we will still have to face it no matter how much "worrying" we have already done. Our energy is better used when the thing actually happens (if it even does).

The Challenge: 

The next time your mind starts spinning a "worst-case" tale, pause, take a breath, and 'remember Amy and Kat's podcast segment WAIT TO WORRY’ to help you get through this ‘potential’ crisis.”

xo,

Amy & Kat