and	replay	the	possible	negative	results.	They	even	consider	various	treatment
plans	for	potential	diagnoses	and	diseases.
The	problem	with	this	kind	of	worry	and	rumination	is	that	anxious	minds
aren’t	very	rational,	and	tend	to	generate	possible	worst-case	outcomes	that
aren’t	very	likely.	So,	while	worrying	about	bad	outcomes	may	feel	soothing
in	the	short	term,	it’s	actually	making	you	more	and	more	anxious	over	time.
This	happens	because	when	we	can’t	tolerate	uncertainty,	we	take	on	more
responsibility	than	is	reasonable	
for
	
a	given	situation.	A	kind	of	superstitious
thinking	creeps	in,	telling	us	that	the	“work”	of	worry	is	somehow	keeping	us
safe	from	the	hypothetical	bad	things	happening.	Whether	we	think	about	the
blood	work	results	every	hour	of	every	day	or	not,	the	results	will	be	what
they	are.	Curiously,	when	the	results	come	back	indicating	all	is	normal,	there
is	a	self-defeating	and	irrational	tendency	to	believe	that	all	the	worrying
made	the	difference.	And	then	the	next	time	uncertainty	creeps	in,	we	will	be
encouraged	to	worry	again	to	bridge	our	knowledge	gap.
It’s	as	if	we	are	saying,	“If	I	don’t	worry	about	this,	then	it’s	my	fault