It's astonishing how two tiny words—what if?—can unravel your sense of peace in seconds. As a psychologist, I have a front row seat to see how they sneak into our minds quietly, then spiral into every possible worst-case scenario.

What if I fail? What if they don’t like me? What if I get sick? What if something happens to my kid?

Anxiety loves what-ifs. They fuel uncertainty, inflate fears, and hijack the brain’s ability to think clearly. From kids to grown-ups, no one is immune to these words.

But there’s an eight-word antidote that acts like a mental fire extinguisher: “What is the worst thing that can happen?”

It doesn’t encourage doom-thinking. Quite the opposite: It anchors you. It makes your brain slow down, assess reality, and realize that even if the worst happens, you can survive it. This 8-word question is Cognitive Behavioral

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