They say ‘imagination is key’, and while it can conjure up creative solutions and embolden dreams, there are times when it leads us down a rabbit hole of catastrophising. But can this overthinking anxiety ever be used to our advantage – and how do we adapt to keep it in check?

From myths and legends, and featuring in cultures across history, the crystal ball has been a prized asset that allows its possessor to see into the future. This idea no doubt piques your curiosity. So, imagine I could give you a tool that would allow you to do just that: predict the future. Well, you’ve just conjured the incredible gift that is your imagination – your very own crystal ball.

Being able to see future possibilities allowed our predecessors to come up with creative ways to track and capture prey, as well as helped them survive. And in modern day terms, many of us will have used our imaginations to problem-solve – whether in relation to a project at work, or a personal challenge – and recognise the power of identifying and stopping risks before they become tangible issues.

However, one thing I have learned about our brains is that for every upside, there is a downside. And, unfortunately, our imagination is no different. Many people struggle with anxiety and the cognitive (or thinking) part of it.

While we all experience worries from time to time, those with anxiety tend to overthink as our imaginations run rife. If you think about the types of things that you worry about on a regular basis, the common ones likely include:

  • What if I can’t pay my mortgage or rent?
  • What if I lose my job?
  • What if my pension is not enough to support me?
  • What if my partner leaves me?
  • What if I get a serious illness?

Do you notice what all these worries have in common? They are all concerns about the future. This is your imagination at work. It’s trying to do its job, which is to keep you safe by predicting the future (and essentially any threats). Your brain is a prediction machine.

Well, there is another commonality that these worries have. Have you noticed that they are all potentially negative future scenarios? Your brain is heavily biased to the negative when thinking about the future, sometimes called catastrophic thinking. This can create psychological distress, especially when coupled with worry’s steroid-fuelled relative, rumination. So why do some people worry more than others, and how could this burden ever be considered a benefit?

Looking to our closest relatives might provide the answer. Over the years, numerous studies have observed groups of chimpanzees and tribe behaviour, including the work of primatologist and conservationist Dian Fossey. These have noted differing characteristics, similar to humans, with some of the tribe being more skittish and anxious, whereas others are more calm. Reports have suggested that the anxious primates tend to check the periphery of the tribe for danger, experiencing restless nights, often waking to check everything is OK. Could it be that the anxious ones actually help the group to spot incoming predators or approaching rival tribes? This anxious behaviour could, therefore, keep the whole group safe.

So, when we think of human behaviour, it’s possible that having anxious people around us plays an important role in the wider social group’s success, too. Maybe anxiety isn’t there just to torture us, in fact perhaps it’s trying its best to help us navigate life more safely and protect us from harm – whether real or imagined.

While I hope knowing your anxiety can have real value can offer some comfort for those experiencing it, here are a few powerful tips that have helped many of my clients manage their anxiety on an ongoing basis:

  • Write it down. With clients often coming to me because their level of worry is keeping them up at night, and torturing them during the day, they tend to find it quite easy to create a list similar to that suggested earlier. Having this as a reference point, we revisit the list in a month or six weeks’ time. And guess what? It is rare that any of the things they were worrying about actually happened. Having this evidence can help you to distinguish between those real or imagined threats.

  • If you can, take action. A useful extension to writing down worries and auditing them, is to do something concrete to address the worry. For example, if you are worried about your pension pot, then sit down and work out if it’s enough. Remove the doubt. If it is not, consider creating a savings plan to address the shortfall. Having a plan will normally be enough to calm the brain.

  • A thought is just a thought. A common issue I notice with clients is their identification with their thoughts. So I encourage them to stop and think. Are you your thoughts? The answer is no. One way to discover this is through taking up mindfulness or meditation practices. This means learning to sit and focus on a home base, like your breath. As you do this, you will realise that your thoughts come and go. Grabbing on to our thoughts is what causes our distress, just as learning to let them go as easily as they came can be liberating.

Having a powerful imagination to predict the future is an extremely useful tool, like having your own crystal ball. However, the worry and anxiety that comes with that gift, can cause many of us distress in our day-to-day lives. Realising that our brains are trying to help us can give comfort. However, learning techniques to calm and soothe the mind is often the key.