Just turn on the news and listen. Open up any social media platform and see what is trending. Talk with a neighbor or a family member. It seems that everyone is awfulizing these days.
That is an actual word, and it makes perfect sense:
Awfulize verb, to imagine or predict the worst circumstances or outcomes.
Source: Double-tongued Dictionary, waywordradio.org/awfulize
We need to stop awfulizing.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”Ucayc” via=”yes” ]We need to stop awfulizing. We need to stop imagining or predicting the worst outcomes.[/ctt]
That doesn’t mean we need to be all sunshine and rainbows and ignore what is happening around the world right now. It means that we need to stop making things worse. We need to deal with the reality of what is happening.
At work, awfulizing happens quite a lot. People are worried they will never be able to return to the workplace. They’re convinced their company will go bankrupt and they’ll be kicked to the curb. I see a lot of posts about how we will never see “normal” again. People imagine what the new normal will look like, and for many, it is very bleak.
I don’t want to be an awfulizer, and I’m guessing you don’t either.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”c9d5U” via=”yes” ]Here are three quick tips that will help you stop making things worse than they are.[/ctt]
Here are three quick tips that will help you stop making things worse than they are.
- Stay calm. When we hear something being awfulized, we tend to react emotionally, and those reactions are not always rational. We need to force ourselves to take a deep breath and calm down before we say or do anything.
- Focus on the right now. Don’t forecast what your future is going to look like, based on limited information. For instance, some people say they will never have a workplace to go back to and will be working from home until they retire. They aren’t usually excited about that prospect and focus on all the pitfalls of working from home. Don’t worry about five years from now, or even five months from now. Focus on what you can do right now to make things better.
- Stay away from absolute thinking. Avoid words such as always and never. Those absolute words paint us into a corner and tint everything negatively. There’s no coming back from “never.” Instead, keep your language (and thinking) positive.
Start paying attention to the things around you that have been awfulized. Stay away from them. Take control of the messages you are hearing and keep yourself healthy and positive.
