MPI
Anxiety → Action Skill #2

Worst → Likely → Best

This technique helps manage anxious thoughts by evaluating worst, most likely, and best outcomes.
Worst → Likely → Best

Key ideas

Skill summary

Three quick reminders before you start.

DO
When you’re worried about something, list the worst, most likely, and best outcome.
WHY
Seeing all possibilities helps balance your thinking and reduce worry.
LEVEL UP
Take one small step to prepare for the most likely outcome.

Overview

This tool is a way to handle situations where your mind automatically jumps to the most negative result possible. By systematically looking at three different ways a situation could end, you can help your brain find a more balanced perspective. It is about checking your thoughts against real facts to see if they are accurate or just fueled by worry.

How Your Brain Works

Your brain uses two main parts to manage your feelings and your ability to think clearly.

Amygdala

The Guard Dog

The alarm system. Reacts to stress with fight-or-flight responses.

Prefrontal Cortex

The Wise Owl

Logic and calm decision-making, best accessed when the alarm quiets down.

The Guard Dog's Alarm

When you feel anxious, your Guard Dog (the Amygdala) takes over. Its job is to keep you safe, but sometimes it gets way too loud. It fixates on scary scenarios and starts barking about the worst things possible. It floods your body with stress signals, making it hard to think clearly because it thinks you are in actual danger. This narrows your focus to survival mode, making everything feel like a huge threat.

The Wise Owl Steps In

The Wise Owl (the Prefrontal Cortex) is the part of your brain that thinks through problems, looks at facts, and makes calm decisions. When you use this tool, you are basically waking up the Wise Owl to help manage the situation. It helps to look at the evidence rather than just reacting to the noise from the alarm centre.

Creating a Shift

  • Labelling the Fear: By naming the worst case, you help the Wise Owl label the fear, which helps the Guard Dog settle down.
  • Building Perspective: Looking at the most likely case gives the Wise Owl evidence to work with, showing that the scary thing is unlikely.
  • Opening Up: Thinking of the best case reminds your brain that positive outcomes are possible, helping you feel more motivated.

How to Use This Skill

Think of this tool as a way to help your internal team communicate better. It lets your Wise Owl take a moment to look at the facts before the Guard Dog's alarm gets too loud.

1

Name the Big Fear (Worst Case)

You might write down, 'I am going to trip on stage and everyone will think I am a total failure.'

2

Find the Middle Ground (Most Likely)

You realize that you might stumble on one word, but you will probably just keep going and finish the presentation fine.

3

Imagine the Win (Best Case)

You might imagine the audience clapping and feeling really proud of yourself after you finish the work.

Real-Life Example

The Audition Anxiety

The Worry

A teenager is getting ready for a school play audition and is worried about forgetting their lines.

The Guard Dog Thought

I am going to freeze up, everyone will laugh at me, and I will never be able to act again.

  1. Worst Case: The Guard Dog says I will freeze, get booed, and my reputation will be ruined forever.
  2. Most Likely: The Wise Owl points out that I might stumble on a line, but I can recover. I might not get the lead, but I will get a part.
  3. Best Case: I nail every single line and the director is totally impressed by my performance.

By looking at the likely outcome, the teen feels more calm. The Guard Dog stops barking because the Wise Owl shows that a mistake is not a disaster.

Practice Tips

Here are a few ways to make this habit stick so your Wise Owl stays sharp and ready to help.

  • Put it on paper

    Writing down your thoughts helps your Wise Owl see them clearly rather than letting them spin around in your head.

  • Score the chance

    Give each outcome a percentage from 0 to 100. You will often notice the scary one is very unlikely to happen.

  • Try it daily

    Practising this with small worries makes it easier to use when a big worry pops up.

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