I’ve noticed something about anxiety: it’s rarely about the thing itself. It’s about not knowing what might happen. In other words, thinking about something is often worse than the actual situation.
Whether it's driving somewhere new, walking into a job interview or anticipating a doctor's appointment, when my brain starts filling in the blanks with worst-case scenarios, I start to spiral. So instead of asking ChatGPT for reassurance, I tried something different.
I asked it to tell me what to expect. I call it the “Bee Sting” prompt, after I was trying to describe a bee sting to my youngest child. He was really nervous at a friend's outdoor party because there was a bee flying around. Rather than enjoy the party, he was over-thinking what it would be like to get stung by the bee.
The surprising effect of this prompt is that it doesn't just help me with anxiety, but it helps me feel prepared. Here's how it works.
