Complete the Story
Sometimes during worry our mind loops and loops because we get stuck on one part of the story.
What if I lose my lob?
They could leave me.
She could be diagnosed with the illness.
How can we pay the bills?
They might reject me if I share what is true about me.
What if I embarrass myself at the event?
We get stuck on one specific moment in the story and our mind plays it on repeat.
A way we can work with this is to complete the story. Start with the part of the story where you are stuck and then ask yourself what would happen next? What would you do if that happened?
Would you cry, get angry, freak out, isolate, numb the pain? Grieve for days, weeks, months, years? Be embarrassed and feel shame?
And then what?
Would you eventually reach out for help? From who? Would you seek support in a group or community? Would you share your pain with someone so you didn’t have to carry it alone? Would you read resources to learn from others who have experienced the same?
And then what?
Could there be healing on the other side? Could you have hope again? Could you still create a beautiful life? Could you rebuild, restore and recreate your life? Could you be kind to yourself in the pain?
And then what?
Could you one day laugh again? Have joy? Help others who experience the same pain?
This idea can also be used for when you find yourself getting stuck on one part of a past event.
For example-
“They slept with that person…”
“When I was publicly humiliated…”
“When I got drunk and did that thing I regret…”
“When I failed the exam…”
And then what happened? And then what? And then?
Each experience is a page or chapter in our story - but never the whole story.