I’ve identified a new type of anxiety: scenario anxiety.
Some would call it analysis paralysis.
But I know that feeling all too well.
I have to make an important decision, and then my brain goes off on a tangent, showing me different scenarios and possible outcomes.
Analyzing every little detail, showing me what can go wrong.
Future Possibilities
I can almost see every possible future simultaneously.
It’s like standing at a crossroads, literally or metaphorically, and suddenly you’re stuck watching the world’s most stressful movie marathon.
Timeline A: Take the job. Hate it in 6 months. Turn to stress eating.
Timeline B: Take the job. Meet your future business partner. Give TED talks.
Timeline C: Don’t take it. Go broke. Family judges you at Christmas dinner.
And my brain doesn’t stop there. It keeps branching. Scenarios within scenarios. Butterfly effects cascading through decades.
Each possibility feels equally real. Equally terrifying.
This Isn’t Overthinking
I call this scenario anxiety.
You’re not just worried about making the wrong choice. You’re paralyzed by seeing every choice too clearly.
You know that feeling when you can see infinite paths stretching out before you? It’s like having Rick Sanchez’s portal gun in your head. Except instead of hopping between dimensions for fun, you’re trapped watching them all while standing frozen in place.
Your brain burns energy like it’s mining Bitcoin, processing futures that may never exist.
It also feels like decision vertigo: you stand at the edge of infinite possibility and feel like any step might send you tumbling into the wrong life.
The Cruel Irony
You could end up making no choice at all.
You become so afraid of choosing the wrong timeline that you default to the one you’re already in. Even when it’s slowly suffocating you.
How Do You Escape?
So, how do you break free from this paralysis?
Give yourself 48 hours max for big choices, 24 for smaller ones. When time’s up, you choose, no extensions.
Limit your mental movie marathon to just three scenarios: best case, worst case, most likely case. Ignore your brain when it tries to show you 47 more possibilities.
Ask yourself if the decision is reversible. Most aren’t permanent—you’re just choosing your next chapter, not your forever life.
The Bottom Line
I’ve realized that my ability to see all those possibilities isn’t a curse. It’s actually proof that my imagination is powerful enough to build any future I want.
I only need to stop being paralyzed by the abundance of options and start trusting myself to navigate whatever timeline I choose.
After all, Rick Sanchez didn’t get stuck staring at the portal gun.
He picked a dimension and went.
