I’ve been looking again at “The *More or Less* Definitive Guide to Self-Care,” by Anna Borges. (Other posts taken from entries in the guide are at the highlighted links.)

The entry for Decatastrophizing caught my eye because I wanted to see what it was, but also how it would look in the headline. The easiest way to define the word is on the opposite page from the introduction, where a cartoon-style bubble asks AND THEN WHAT?

As Borges writes, “Sometimes, a worst-case scenario pops into your brain and sinks its claws in, and no amount of counteracting with positive or mediocre outcomes will loosen its grip.” Decatastrophizing, Borges writes, is “also known as the ‘what if’ technique.”

Back in our college days, my roommate S.G. used to tell me that I played a good game of “what if,” and that’s how I still think of it. Games are just less scary and official-sounding than techniques, so I will keep “what if” as a game.

I’m sure you have your own set of questions, but here are some of mine:

What if this heat wave doesn’t break soon?

What if my blender wears out from making so many different juice blends?

What if I can’t get a haircut to keep my neck from boiling?

The next step in the game after “what if” is “then what?”

The heat wave doesn’t break soon.

Then what?

I’m going on a liquid diet to keep cool.

Then what?

My grocery bill goes down.

Then what?

Maybe I can lose some weight.

As Borges explains, “When you employ decatastrophization, you’re basically walking yourself gently to the realization that, no matter what your gremlin brain is telling you, things will be OK.”

That’s the kind of self-care everybody can benefit from.