Friday Fix: Stop Making Your Biggest Fears Come True

In The Verywell Mind Podcast, Amy Morin, LCSW, shares the "Friday Fix"—a short episode featuring a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern.

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Friday Fix: Episode 212

Sometimes, we inadvertently increase the chances that our biggest fears might come true.

That's not to say it's your fault if something bad happens to you. Understand that bad things happen to most people, regardless of the efforts they make to avoid them.

However, sometimes, our fear of something causes us to react in a way that actually increases the probability of our fear coming true.

For instance, consider overprotective parents. Many of them hover over their children because they don't want them to get hurt—physically or emotionally. So, they prevent their kids from making mistakes, getting rejected, or taking risks. As a result, their kids may not gain the skills they need to solve problems, cope with pain, or manage their emotions. This lack of skills can make them more vulnerable to being hurt later in life.

Admittedly, that's not the only way this scenario plays out. From dating the exact type of person you said you wanted to avoid to getting into the financial mess that you swore you'd never get into, there are many scenarios in which our efforts sometimes backfire.

In this episode, I explain the four reasons we sometimes accidentally make our biggest fears come true. I'll also go over how to recognize when you're doing it and what you can do to change your course of action.

More About the Podcast

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Editor's Note: Be aware that this transcript is not subjected to our standard editorial process, so it may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors. Thank you for your understanding.

For media or public speaking inquiries, contact Amy here.

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