Marilyn Luis Dias
Awfulizing is a term coined by psychologist Albert Ellis. It is the process of assuming the worst about any given situation where the outcome is unknown.
The thoughts coming out of a person’s head when they are awfulizing could be completely irrational and dramatic but is perceived to be very real to the person concerned due to fear of what is unknown about any given circumstance.
Awfulizing creates unnecessary anxiety and depression or even anger by creating a terrible future for yourself in your mind.
People who awfulize (and I’m pretty sure all of us have done it at some point) need to realize that what’s happening today in the moment is the only thing that’s real. Everything else is assumed.
What we see is what we know but how we feel it in our minds literally landscapes the world around us as we live it. In other words, sight is just one way of shaping our reality. How we perceive it in our minds is another way.
Fear distorts our reality, filling up gaps of ‘the unknown’ by the most awful things that could potentially happen. And the worst part about fear is that it is self-realizing.
Fear beats your rational mind down by flooding it with disruptive emotions so much so that when you should be taking action, you are lulled into inaction, and then you become a passive observer as your worst fears actually do come true, not because they were real to begin with but because your paralyzed self, allowed for such awful outcomes to become a reality.
Awfulizing results in golden opportunities passing you by while you remain trapped in your bubble of fear and doubt. This will cause a lack of fulfillment as you see your goals remain unrealized.
The one thing the mind goes towards when we are ailing or suffering physically from an illness, is regrets. “I should have done this, for it would have led me to where I wanted to be, it would have led me to live the kind of life I wanted to.”
So, my antidote to having regrets would be to take risks, to not be afraid to venture into unknown territory, for that might just lead you to where you want to go.
For instance, looking at certain investment avenues such as Equity, the returns on which are uncertain, shouldn’t lead us to write it off completely by awfulizing the future outcome of such investment. The returns may be uncertain but only in the short run.
Over the long run, prudent investments (made with the help of qualified professionals) in equity help you achieve all your goals and then some. Likewise, vehicles of investing in equity like mutual funds shouldn’t be awfulized just because their workings may not be known to you.
They could prove to be the most versatile and useful tool to you yet, leaving you wondering why you never considered it in the first place.
