the “what if” hamster wheel
This week I’ve been exploring how those circling “what-if” thoughts can take over — often without us even realising.
What if I get it wrong?
What if I make the wrong choice?
What if they don’t like me?
It sounds like preparation, but really it’s a hamster wheel. No exit, just round and round.
And it’s sneaky, because it shows up in the small stuff too:
Standing in the supermarket wondering if tonight’s dinner will give everyone food poisoning.
Re-writing a simple text message three times in case it “reads funny.”
Playing through ten different versions of a conversation you might never even have.
At the heart of it, these circling thoughts aren’t about logic. They’re an old survival strategy — a pattern that once kept you alert and “ready for danger.” Except now, danger often looks like sending an email or choosing between pasta and potatoes.
The shift comes when you notice: “Oh — this isn’t truth. It’s just the pattern talking.”
That awareness gives you the chance to step off the wheel, breathe, and do things differently.
That’s the real work of moving beyond the pattern.
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