Whilst awaiting my Masters results I became aware, once again, of the incredible power of the ‘Unknown’. The Unknown can fill you with excitement or dread, or a range of emotions somewhere between the two!
In discussion with a client a few weeks later, I was reminded of the high level of anxiety that the Unknown can generate. I remembered being coached myself, around something where I was fearful about the potential outcome. This anxiety blocked my resourcefulness and creativity and I felt as if the whole matter was completely out of my control.
My coach encouraged me to consider the worst case scenario and my options or action if this were to happen. This really worked for me – I was able to regain control and reduce my fear by working out what I would do if it became necessary. I had reduced the power of the Unknown by defining what I was scared of and how I could handle this if it became a reality. Although I would prefer not to have to deal with any of this, I at least knew what I would do if needs be.
It is easy, when under pressure in this fast paced ever-changing world we live in, to fall into a pattern of ‘catastrophising’ or ‘all or nothing’ thinking; having a strategy to combat these patterns reduces stress levels and releases back precious thinking time and energy!