Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

August 24, 2015

Things will never be as bad, or as good, as we expect them to be.

When events or situations are coming up, it is easy to find yourself getting excited about how great it will be or dreading how awful it will be.  In hind sight, we find that events are typically not as good or as bad as we expected and the build up to the event or situation set us up for a letdown or created more anxiety than was necessary.  Tempering our expectations allows us to be more emotionally available and manage the event or situation more effectively.

Do I tend to assume everything will great or awful?  What would change if I assumed events and situations would be more moderate?  What gifts await me if I allow the situation and my experience of it to guide my behaviors and interactions instead of my preconceived expectations?