People tend to catastrophize even small worrying signals.

  • People tend to catastrophize even small worrying signals.
    • They don't look at where the thing is, but the velocity of the movement, and what that implies about where it could go.
      • "My 2 year old is in a phase where he hits people when he's frustrated. When he goes to preschool he won't be able to socialize with other kids, and then he'll grow into a bully, and then he'll drop out of high school, and then he'll live on the streets, homeless!"
    • When you find yourself catastrophizing, take a breath.
    • Remember where the thing actually is, which isn't that bad.
    • Ask yourself if there are tripwires you could set up that would trigger if it ever developed to a point that was actually worrying.
      • For example, set a reminder for a year from now to seek out a specialist if your toddler is unable to productively play with any other kids.
    • Then, once you've installed the tripwires… just let go!
    • Stop thinking about it.
    • Don't borrow trouble.