Your Brain Is Addicted To Worst-Case Scenarios (3 Ways To Break The Habit)

About this episode

Jay breaks down why our minds are so quick to jump to the worst-case scenario, from the evolutionary roots of anxiety to why uncertainty can send us into a spiral. He shares three practical ways to interrupt anxious thinking, including separating fear from actual evidence and bringing yourself back to what’s true right now. Jay also introduces a simple “then what?” exercise to help you stop fearing what could go wrong and trust yourself to handle whatever comes next. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services. PURPOSE10 for 10% at altrarunning.com/onpurpose. Free Shipping and Free 30-Day Trial. JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:24 Your Brain Is A Terrible Fortune Teller 02:42 Where Does Anxiety Come From? 06:14 How Your Brain Predicts What Could Go Wrong 09:32 Why Bad News Sticks in Your Mind 11:10 The Uncertainty Spiral 15:03 Stop Assuming the Worst, Look at the Evidence 18:11 Come Back to What’s Actually True 22:58 Getting Comfortable With The Unknown 26:35 The “Then What?” Exercise for Worst-Case Thinking 31:11 The Two Backpacks Analog Episode Resources: This episode is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices