How well do you know yourself? How realistic is your thinking? Do you really need to be preparing for the worst? Is your memory serving you correctly? There are so many times when we could all do with a quick reality check to get us back on track.
- Anticipation anxiety is precisely what the name suggests – anxiety about something that hasn’t happened. Most of the time, the thing we dread doesn’t happen, which is a huge relief but often a reality check will stop anticipation anxiety in its tracks before it takes hold.
- Grieving over a dysfunctional relationship. No one likes to be rejected, but try not to make the mistake on looking at a failed relationship through rose coloured glasses. Time has this habit of wiping out the bad times and only leaving memories of the good times. Ask your friends how truly happy you were back then.
- How much do you drink/eat/smoke/spend? Most of us live in some denial about our bad habits. If you want to improve your health, try keeping a record of your worrying behaviour. Awareness is the first step to change.
- How much time do you spend on facebook/twitter/tumbler? To increase efficiency, keep a log of the time you spend online over the course of one day.
- How often do you apologise? Most people tell me that their partner is not good at apologising whereas they themselves are quick to accept responsibility for their mistakes. The trouble is, your partner may well be thinking the same thing. A light-hearted tally of the number of times you each say sorry should get those apologies flowing.
- And probably the greatest need for a reality check is when we catastrophise. How likely is it that your world will come to an end if you do fail? Will your friend really that be that offended if you say No? Will being late be so disastrous? Have you lost perspective over what’s really important? Time to check the evidence before you conclude that you have a catastrophe on your hands.
