Hey.

Welcome to Think Thursday from the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast.

Think Thursday is all about your beautiful, brilliant human brain.

We're talking neuroscience.

We're talking behavior change.

We are talking about your mindset.

Are you ready to get started?

Let's go.

Hey there, and welcome to or welcome back to Think Thursday.

This is the short episode where we explore, you know, one idea, one mindset shift, one strategy to help you think better so you feel better so that you take better actions and build habits that support really a more peaceful life.

And it's all about your beautiful, brilliant human brain.

I'm Molly, and if you're new around here, welcome.

And if you're someone who's naturally a little anxious or tends to plan for worst case scenarios, then today's topic might be a bit of a revelation.

We are talking about a psychological strategy called defensive pessimism and how defensive pessimism can actually improve performance, lower stress, and help you reach your goals.

And if that sounds a little counterintuitive, I I get you, but trust me, you are in the right place.

So let's start with what defensive pessimism isn't.

It is not catastrophizing.

It's not doom scrolling through your own life or believing that everything will go wrong.

Defensive pessimism is a strategy identified by psychologist Doctor.

Julie Norum, and it's used by people who tend to experience anticipatory anxiety.

And that means that they you worry about decisions or events before they happen.

But instead of trying to just stay positive, alright, defensive pessimism means that you lean into that worry on purpose.

So here's how it works.

You set a goal or face a situation, and then you ask yourself, what could go wrong?

What obstacles might come up?

How might I feel in that moment?

And then, and this is the key, you use those imagined scenarios to create a plan.

You get ahead of the emotions instead of being blindsided by them.

And this strategy has been shown in multiple studies to actually help people perform better, not worse, because it reduces uncertainty and boosts cognitive control.

So if you've ever felt like your what if brain is working against you, today, I wanna help you flip that script.

So the brain loves predictions.

Alright?

Here's where the neuroscience comes in.

Your brain is a prediction machine.

Every second, it is scanning your internal and external environment to figure out what's likely to happen next.

And this is a survival mechanism.

And for some of us, especially those with anxious tendencies, the brain tends to focus on potential threats or negative outcomes.

But here's a powerful distinction that I want you to hear.

Prediction is not the same as probability.

Listen to me again.

Prediction is not the same as probability.

Just because your brain predicts a negative outcome doesn't mean it's probable.

Our brains are designed for and have always relied on a negative bias.

It means that your brain is trying to keep you safe, and it is often over correcting.

For example, you might think I probably won't follow through with my new habit, and that's your brain's prediction based on past evidence.

But what's the actual probability?

If you create a plan, remove obstacles, and prepare for discomfort.

If you accept a if you have a new kind of thinking about what you're trying to do, The past does not predict the future.

And when you have a plan, when you remove obstacles, when you prepare for discomfort ahead of time, the number, the probability changes.

This is what makes defensive pessimism so powerful.

It allows you to take your brain's anxious prediction and turn it into an opportunity to change the probability of success.

You use worry intentionally to plan and prepare instead of spinning out in avoidance or doubt.

Let's take a concrete example.

Alright?

Let's say you're trying to stick in or stick to a new morning routine.

Maybe you want to start journaling or stretching or meditating for ten minutes.

Now a typical positive thinking approach might sound like, this is gonna be easy.

I've got this.

But if your brain is anything like mine or at least what mine used to be, it's going to immediately counter with, yeah, but what if you hit the snooze button?

You like to hit the snooze button.

What if you're just too tired or I don't feel like doing it?

And then the doubt spiral begins.

And instead of shutting that down, alright, instead of letting those because what happens when a doubt spiral like that begins?

If you are anything like me, at least, like I said, anything like me in the past, when I start thinking negatively like that, I just don't take any actions at all, and I decide not to start the new journaling, stretching, meditating habit at all.

Right?

I talk myself out of it before I even have begun.

Now instead of shutting the so what defensive pessimism would invite you to do is lean into those questions.

What if I do hit snooze?

What if I don't feel like journaling?

What has tripped me up in the past?

And then make a plan for it.

Alright?

Don't, move the alarm.

Set it over on your you know, set it away from you so that you can't just automatically hit the snooze button, that you have to get up to go over and hit it if you're going to, which, of course, has you up out of bed.

Set the journal out the night before.

Put it right next to your bed so that if you don't feel like it, you can decide in advance.

Even if all even if I'm tired, I will write just one sentence.

Figure out a minimum viable thing that you will be able to do and commit to it.

And that plan, that preparation is not a lack of confidence, it's cognitive leverage.

You're redirecting your brain's prediction mechanism and increasing the actual probability of following through.

This builds confidence through experience, not just hopeful thinking.

Now, here's how you can try it this week.

If you want to test this out, there's a quick three step process you can do today.

Pick a habit or a goal that you're working on.

Doesn't matter if it's big or small.

Ask yourself, what could realistically go wrong?

What's derailed me in the past?

When am I most likely to abandon this plan?

And make a plan for those moments.

Don't try to erase the negative thoughts.

Work with them.

Your brain is trying to protect you.

You can thank it and still show it who's in charge.

And here's the bonus benefit.

When those predicted challenges come up, and they will, you're not thrown off.

You're ready.

That reduces your stress and increases your emotional regulation.

It builds trust with yourself.

So remember, your brain predicts.

That's its job.

You choose the probability.

That's your job.

And if you're someone who's always imagined the worst, that doesn't make you weak.

That doesn't mean you're broken.

It might just mean you have the perfect brain for defensive pessimism.

And it's a strategy that transfer transforms worry into wisdom.

I would love to hear if you try this out this week.

Shoot me an email molly mollywatts dot com.

Come join us in the Facebook group, The Alcohol Minimalists.

And until next time, think better, keep going, choose peace, and I will see you on Monday.