3 Ways To Get Out of Your "What If?"-Rabbit Hole

Written by: Danielle Perlin-Good, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

There’s a part of ourselves that always thinks of the worst outcome of any situation. Yet this line of thinking can certainly deter us from achieving our ultimate goals in life.

The “What If?” rabbit hole is when we go down a path of destructive thinking. We all have negative thoughts and ask ourselves horrendous “What If?” scenarios about our lives. I wish I could tell you that there’s a very simple solution, and you can easily utilize your abundant energy differently, but in reality, we all go through hard things.

We have thoughts like:

“What if something bad happens to me?”

“...My spouse?”

“...My kid?”

“What if I get a serious disease?”

“What if my house catches on fire?”

By letting these thoughts take total control of your brain, you’ll have bought a one-way plane ticket to Tahiti, because you’ve convinced yourself that one of these “What Ifs” is at least a partial truth.

The way we expend our energy in difficult situations can make or break us. Grief, of course, is its own ball game entirely, yet it’s important to recognize the differences between energy spent grieving, and energy spent going down this infamous “What if” rabbit hole. So, how can we expend our energy more effectively in order to get ourselves thinking positively about our lives, our goals, and our achievements once again?

1. Acknowledge

It’s so crucial to understand our energies and how going down the “What If?” rabbit hole will actually do the opposite for you and your goals. See, our brains like to play games with us. We can, once again, choose victimhood and be stuck energetically in the “What If’s” section of our mind, or we can graciously say, “Thank you for bringing up these points. I’m not willing to expend my abundant energy on you right now, but I do appreciate you.” This way, you’ve literally avoided an argument within yourself by simply acknowledging the thoughts.

2. Take Control

You’re taking control of your thoughts. See, your thoughts comprise of a complex puzzle. There are all sorts of crazy thoughts floating around in our heads 24/7.

“Can I eat salami for dinner?”

“Wow, I want 10 slices of pie right now.”

“Can I take a long driving trip tomorrow morning?”

The trick is to listen calmly to these thoughts, always, and recognize them for what they are— thoughts. By taking control of your thought patterns, you have more control over what manifests energetically in your life.

3. Take Action

These thoughts aren’t actually occurring in real life, because you haven’t taken action on these thoughts.

Yet.

The beauty of the “What If” rabbit hole is that you’re allowed to have these crazy thoughts. You do not have to tell everyone in your life about every thought you’ve ever had. Well, except for, maybe, your therapist. Take action on those thoughts that will help you further along in your ultimate goals. When other negative or alarming thoughts arise, bless them, thank them for entering your mind, and send them on their merry way.

This methodology has worked wonders for not only me, but also dozens of my clients. We get to choose what our mind believes. We get to choose how our energy will be utilized within our thought patterns. Choose wisely, and with great love and respect for your whole self.

Connect with me on LinkedIn, or check out my website for more information! Read more from Danielle!

Danielle Perlin-Good, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Danielle Perlin-Good is The Written Legacy Coach. She works with emerging C-suite leaders to unleash their memoirs, self-help, and personal growth non-fiction books so they can share their powerful legacies and transform lives. Since 2008, Danielle has written and edited hundreds of articles, books, social media content, e-newsletters, and more. She went from working overnight shifts at the Tribune Company to corporate digital marketing gigs, one of which was at Albert Whitman & Co., an esteemed children's publishing house. Danielle uses mindset techniques, exceptional editing skills, and quantum healing modalities to ensure her clients develop a beautifully crafted and publishable book that they will forever cherish.