To catastrophize: letting your imagination run wild, and letting your fears stop you. There are reasonable fears, but you can get past them and get on with life.

As a consultant who travels as part of my work, I encounter plenty of situations that defy my expectations, and my best-laid plans. Hopefully some of my experiences will help you.

 

Understand that life goes on

Regardless of your fears, things will continue to unfold. Why not make the best of your opportunities?

 

You are not alone

When you consider only your own resources to tackle a problem, you could be indeed limited. But just as your hand was not designed to function like your neck, you were not equipped to handle any and all of life’s challenges on your own.

One of my favorite bloggers wrote about this. Reach out to folks you trust, instead of being trapped in the echo chamber of your thoughts.

 

Sick? So What?

I don’t say this to imply that your health doesn’t matter. But whether you face a chronic condition, or a sudden illness that knocks you off your feet, take the view that “this, too, shall pass.”

Take the necessary precautions to give you peace of mind:

  1. Know where the local health care facilities are.
  2. Let someone know if you’re ill, so that they can check on you.
  3. Rest, nourish and hydrate yourself. Then rest some more.

Catastrophize No More

We live in a world where terrorism happens. Weird diseases spring up: Ebola, SARS, MERS, Zika, etc. When I hear about threats, I love to think about the Atlanta airport statistic.

For 18 years running, it remains the world’s busiest airports. On average, about 280,000 people every day, 365 days a year, were moved through that airport. That’s a lot of takeoff and landings, and it gives me perspective.