Despite my catastrophizing, my expectations are that song will appear in the right order on my first album, which I expect will be released a week from Friday on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.
Thanks to those who help me manage expectations, including YOU!
When people ask the question “What’s wrong with me?” in therapy, I always reply “nothing.”
Of course, that doesn’t prevent me from asking the same question about myself.
Last night, I asked “What’s wrong with me?” when I realized that I had forgotten to take my medications on Sunday night. That’s the second time in a couple of months that I’ve forgotten. What’s wrong with that? I need to take my warfarin every day to maintain consistent blood clotting because of my mechanical valve.
Because it doesn’t help to ask “What’s wrong with me?” and it does help to take my warfarin every day, from now on I’m going to double check whether I’ve taken my pills every night before I go to bed.
Is there anything wrong with these images?
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I also asked “What’s wrong with me?” last night when my song “Castrophizing” didn’t get much of a response from the Open Mic audience at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. Here’s a performance of “Catastrophizing” from last year, when I wasn’t asking “What’s wrong with me?”
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Who else has ever asked themselves “What’s wrong with me?”
Repeat the answer with me: Nothing!
Thanks to all who are here for this what’s-wrong-with-me post, including YOU!
If you’ve paid attention to this daily blog, you may have noticed that I write about worst case scenarios and how our minds often expect them to come true.
I also write about how worst case scenarios often do not come true and how no matter how we prepare ourselves for the worst, outcomes are usually not what we expect.
After I wrote my first song, I quickly wrote a follow-up song called “Catastrophizing,” which was inspired by worst case scenarios about performing.
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This past week, two worst case scenarios came true for me and guess what? I learned that I can survive my worst case scenarios with my best self intact, happy, and wiser, and that’s the best.
Are there any worst case scenarios in my images for today?
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Here’s what I find when I search for worst case scenarios on YouTube.
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My worst case scenario for this post is that it doesn’t clearly convey my sincere thanks for everyone here, including YOU!
Yesterday, in my Coping and Healing group, people talked about catastrophes. The discussion included experiencing the common human tendency for catastrophizing in the midst of actual catastrophes.
Because we tend to catastrophize and imagine the worst case scenario (no matter what’s going on) as a way to prepare for and survive the worst, this can exhaust us when we’re dealing with real catastrophes. On the other hand, many people report becoming calm and focused when catastrophes strike, becoming overwhelmed with anxiety later.
The challenge for us is dealing with extended, elongated catastrophes that have confusing or unknown results.
What catastrophes do you see in my images for today?
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What are your thoughts and feelings about catastrophes?
Thanks to all who help me get through catastrophes, including YOU!
For want of a nail is an ancient proverb illustrating how one small loss can result in disaster.
For Want of a Nail For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
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Sometimes I notice that my life/daily routine is hanging too precariously on one small item and that it’s only a matter of time when so much more will be lost.
Right now, it’s my iPhone, which powers SO MUCH in my life — including my blogging, taking photos, and (most importantly) my ability to log into work from home. It’s been very obvious to me for a while that I NEED MY PHONE to log into work. There’s just no way around it. And today, my iPhone charging slot isn’t working. For want of an iPhone charging slot, my kingdom seems lost.
That’s probably catastrophizing but I am so used to my phone that being without it, right now, seems terrifying. I’ve blogged before how this sense of danger is magnified for me because I’ve been dependent on devices (specifically, cardiac pacemakers) in order to stay alive since I was 10 years old. However, I assume that I’m not the only one who would panic about the want of a phone.
Right now, I’m blogging on my laptop and everything is different and difficult to do. For example, no matter what I do, I can’t get rid of this weird formatting. Also, I don’t even know if I can add an image to this post.
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Yay!
I didn’t do a screen capture on my phone before it died, so let’s see if I can figure out how to add a screen capture here without my phone.
Okay! I think I figured out to do it, let’s see …
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Okay! That took much longer than on my phone, but I did figure it out.
In the meantime, I have ordered a charger that doesn’t depend on the charging slot in my phone and I have reasons to believe that will work. And, if the charging slot IS dead, I can finally upgrade my iPhone 8 to a newer version.
So all is not lost. It just felt like it was, for a little while.
Here’s another variation of that proverb that’s been running through my head: For want of a vacation when I was healthy, my sanity was lost. That’s probably not true, but my answer to my own question of “What’s something we can all agree on?” was this:
(Now I have to remember how to do that damn screen capture again. Hold on …)
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Well, it took some trial and error, but I did it again!
I’m thinking of another variation of that proverb: For want of confidence in my own ability to learn/relearn new things, the kingdom SEEMED lost.
Okay, I need to do another screen capture now.
Not perfect, but it’ll do. Also, I love that I’m figuring out all this on National CanDo Day.
Can do!
Here‘s what I find on YouTube when I search for “For want of a nail.”
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For want of Todd Rundgren, my life would be less beautiful.
I want to thank everyone who is here for this for-the-want-of-a-nail post, including YOU!!
When I’m feeling anxious these days, I express those feelings here and elsewhere, practice mindfulness and Qigong, and capture images like these:
Thanks a lot, Daily Bitch.
Here’s one of the songs I wrote when I was feeling anxious.
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Here and now, I’m feeling anxious because I need to get to an 8 AM follow-up ophthalmology appointment in Boston and my car has been having trouble starting. I’m trying not to catastrophize about it.
What do you do when you’re feeling anxious?
Thanks to all who help me when I’m feeling anxious, including YOU!
“It’s not the end of the world” is something I like to say to myself and others in response to the very common cognitive distortion of catastrophizing.
It’s not the end of the world if we
make a mistake,
say the wrong thing,
have lapses of memory,
don’t show up for something,
don’t get what we want, or
lose somebody (although that can feel like the end of the world).
Of course, if too many of us do nothing to save our endangered world, that could mean the end of the world in the future. However, it’s not the end of the world today, even if today is End of the World or Rapture Party Day.
It’s not the end of the world if I have only a few images to share with you today.
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Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “it’s not the end of the world.”
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It’s not the end of the world and I’m grateful for that and for you!
Do you believe that scammers are everywhere? They’re certainly in my blog post today.
I have good intentions, so scammers are apparently trying to prey on me.
Because of scammers, it’s difficult to know who to trust. On Twitter, people have accused me of being a scammer, because I ask questions like this:
Some people fear that scammers could use information like that to hack into passwords. I have neither the interest nor the energy to be a scammer; I’m just really interested in people’s favorites, including pizza.
Yesterday, this non-scammer feared that she had been taken in by a scammer. On Wednesday, I got a voicemail from somebody claiming to be from the Social Security Administration and when I reached him yesterday, he asked me for information including my social security number, which scammers often do. He claimed he had been calling about my Social Security benefits application and asked me if I wanted to receive my first check this month, which I did.
Last night, when I thought more about that conversation, it occurred to me that I might have stupidly revealed information to scammers. When I looked up the phone number I had returned (855-897-4927), I found a site where people were arguing about whether that was a real SSA phone number or the number of scammers. The people who were convinced I’d spoken to scammers pointed out that scammers could have left the comments claiming the phone number was real.
Because I have a catastrophizing frame of mind, I thought about all the ways that scammers could hurt me with the information I had supplied over the phone. I told my husband Michael (who is definitely not a scammer) about my fears and he told me that (1) he had thought it was weird that I’d been asked for my social security number over the phone and that I had given it and (2) there was nothing I could do about it in the middle of the night, so I should try to get some sleep and report these possible scammers the next day.
Well, personally, I find it difficult to sleep if I suspect I’ve been taken in by scammers, so I did a little more research last night online. I discovered that my social security benefits application was currently being reviewed by someone in Durham, North Carolina, and when I checked my phone for where the Wednesday phone call had originated from, it was … Durham, North Carolina. I’m still going to double check that I wasn’t talking to scammers by calling the Social Security fraud line today but, at this point, I’m pretty sure I haven’t been taken advantage of by scammers. This time.
Oh, and speaking of social security, I wonder if you know that scammers in the USA Congress want to take away social security benefits for elderly folks like me.
Yes, scammers are everywhere. Do you see them in my other images for today?
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Lots of scammers find their way to your inbox and might even offer you a home warranty. Here’s what I find when I search for “scammers” on YouTube:
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If you leave a comment below, please do not include any information scammers might want, like your social security number.
Thanks to all who helped me create this “scammers” post today, including YOU!
