The Department of Imaginary Emergencies
Separate what is happening from what might happen before planning a rescue operation.
An ordinary message, an extraordinary disaster
Someone writes, 'Can we talk tomorrow?' Nothing else. Within four minutes your mind has opened a disciplinary hearing, drafted a resignation letter, and researched new places to live.
The message contains one fact: someone wants to talk tomorrow. Everything else is a proposal submitted by the Department of Imaginary Emergencies. Proposals are not yet events.
Two columns, no drama required
Draw two columns: WHAT IS HAPPENING and WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN. In the first, enter only what you can verify. In the second, place every theory your brain is enthusiastically presenting as evidence.
Choose a response that belongs to the first column. You might ask, 'Sure — what about?' Or put the conversation in your calendar and return to dinner. You do not need to rehearse six disasters as the price of being prepared.
Today's exercise
Take one worry and write one verified fact, one unverified possibility, and one useful next action. If there is no action available until tomorrow, write 'Wait until tomorrow' as the action. It is a perfectly respectable entry.
The objective is not to guarantee a pleasant outcome. It is to stop treating an imagined one as if it has already happened.
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