Write the worry as a specific prediction, then add two more possible endings: the best case and the most likely one. Ask how likely the worst case really is and how you would cope if it did happen. Finish with one practical step, or a time to come back to it. This guide walks through a late-afternoon message from a manager, with a short template and a clear point where you can stop.
Use this when a small what-if keeps growing
It is 4:50 on a Thursday. A message from your manager arrives: Can we have a quick chat tomorrow at 10? There is no more detail. By the time you have shut the laptop, the chat has become a warning, the warning has become losing your job, and losing your job has become not making the rent. One short message, three what-ifs, and you have arrived at the worst ending without anything new having happened.
That jump has a name. An NHS patient information guide from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital describes catastrophising as imagining the worst possible outcome and starting to believe it will happen. NHS Every Mind Matters lists always expecting the worst outcome from any situation among common unhelpful thoughts.
This walkthrough is for everyday what-ifs: an unclear message, a letter you haven't opened, a noise from the car, a test result you are waiting for. It works best on paper or in a note, with about ten minutes. It is an editorial adaptation of NHS and Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) self-help ideas, not a tested treatment.
Step 1: write the worry as a prediction
CCI's self-help workbooks suggest asking yourself: what am I worried would happen? What am I predicting? What conclusions am I jumping to? Try to be specific, even if the thought looks a bit silly written down.
If your mind has built a chain of what-ifs, write the chain out with arrows and then underline the last link, the ending your mind has landed on. In the example: Chat tomorrow → I'm in trouble → I'll lose my job → I can't pay the rent. The worst case to check is I'll lose my job.
Seeing the chain on paper can be useful in itself. Each arrow is a guess, and the ending usually depends on every guess being true.
Step 2: add the best and most likely outcomes
The NHS guide on unhelpful thinking styles suggests writing answers to a few questions when you notice catastrophising, including: what is the most likely outcome, and what is the best-case scenario? Write three short lines:
- Worst case: the ending you underlined in step 1.
- Best case: the most pleasant realistic ending you can think of.
- Most likely: what usually happens in situations like this one, based on what you actually know.
Step 3: check how likely the worst case is
CCI notes that anxious thinking often overestimates the chance of something bad happening and how bad it would be, while underestimating our ability to cope. Although that CCI workbook is written about panic, it says the same thought-challenging steps apply to other kinds of negative thinking.
NHS Every Mind Matters suggests checking a thought with questions such as: how likely is the outcome you're worried about? Is there good evidence for it? Are there other explanations or possible outcomes? Try these on your worst case. Stick to facts you could point to, not what the situation feels like.
If it helps, give the worst case a rough percentage. The number doesn't need to be accurate. The point is to notice whether it is closer to certain, as it felt at 4:50, or closer to unlikely.
Step 4: plan how you would cope if it did happen
Sometimes the worst case is possible, and it is worth being honest about that. CCI's challenging questions include what you can say to yourself or do to help you cope. So rather than arguing that the worst case can't happen, write two or three lines about what you would do if it did.
This is not about rehearsing the disaster in detail. A short, practical answer is enough: who you would talk to, what you would check first, what support exists. Having even a rough plan often makes the worst case feel less like a cliff edge and more like a hard day you could get through.
Step 5: choose one step, or park the rest
NHS Every Mind Matters suggests asking: is there anything practical I can do about this? If there is, plan what you will do and when. If there isn't, acknowledge the worry and shift your attention to something else.
For many what-ifs, the useful step is small: open the letter, book the garage, ask one clarifying question. Anything left over, such as wondering exactly what will be said tomorrow, is a hypothetical worry you can't settle tonight. Write it down and set a short worry time for later; our worry-time guide covers how to do that.
Worked example: the 10 o'clock chat
Prediction: I'm going to lose my job. Chain: Chat tomorrow → I'm in trouble → I'll lose my job → I can't pay the rent.
Worst case: I'm told I'm losing my job. Best case: it's good news about the project I asked to lead. Most likely: it's about the deadline change mentioned on Monday, or a routine catch-up. Quick chats with this manager have usually been about scheduling.
How likely is the worst case? Evidence for: the message was short and came late in the day. Evidence against: my last review was fine, nobody has raised a problem, and short messages are how this manager usually writes. Rough guess: 5%, not the 90% it felt like.
If it did happen: I'd ask what the reasons and next steps are, take notes, and talk it through with my partner in the evening. I'd check my contract and savings at the weekend, not tonight.
One step: reply, Sure, 10 works. Is there anything I should bring? Then park the rest. The example is invented to show the process. On Friday the chat is about moving a deadline by a week.
A template you can copy
This template is an original editorial example, not a clinical worksheet. Copy it into a note or onto paper and fill in one line for each part.
- The prediction: I'm worried that…
- The chain (optional): … → … → …
- Worst case:
- Best case:
- Most likely:
- How likely is the worst case, based on facts? Rough %:
- If it did happen, I would…
- One practical step, or a time to come back to this:
Stopping point: when to put the page down
You can stop once you have written a most likely outcome and either one practical step or a time to revisit. You don't need to feel completely calm, and you don't need to prove the worst case impossible. If the what-ifs start again later, glance at the page instead of rebuilding the chain from the beginning.
Sometimes the most likely outcome turns out to be unwelcome, and that is all right too. The check is not a promise that everything will be fine; it is a way to respond to what is actually likely instead of the worst version your mind can produce.
If expecting the worst feels constant, is hard to set aside, or is affecting your sleep, work or relationships, it is worth talking to your GP or another qualified professional. This guide is educational and is not a substitute for that support.
Sources
- Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust — Unhelpful thinking styles (catastrophising definition; most likely outcome and best-case questions)
- NHS Every Mind Matters — Reframing unhelpful thoughts (expecting the worst; checking how likely an outcome is)
- Centre for Clinical Interventions — When Panic Attacks, Module 3: Overcoming Thoughts About Panic (PDF; overestimating chance and cost, underestimating coping, challenging questions)
- NHS Every Mind Matters — Tackling your worries (practical versus hypothetical worries, worry time)