Narrative Therapy Role-Play - Externalizing the Problem - Excessive Worry

Dr. Todd Grande

14 Feb 201606:59

Summary

TLDRIn this conversation, a person expresses anxiety about their responsibilities at work, particularly regarding hiring decisions. They discuss their tendency to worry and how it affects their confidence. The counselor suggests reframing the worry as an external entity rather than part of their identity. They work together to develop strategies for challenging these anxious thoughts, with the person planning to apply this new approach in an upcoming hiring task. The conversation focuses on managing stress and building self-assurance in professional roles.

Takeaways

😟 The speaker is feeling anxious and under pressure due to work-related responsibilities.
💼 The speaker works in HR and is concerned about hiring the right people for the company.
🤔 The speaker worries about making the wrong hiring decisions, which could negatively impact the company and their job security.
😰 The speaker has a history of worrying and tends to second-guess their judgment.
👥 The speaker is one of the main people responsible for hiring and feels a lot of responsibility for the company's future.
🧐 The speaker is asked to consider the worry as an external entity that is trying to lower their confidence and judgment.
🧠 The speaker acknowledges that they have been doing well in their job so far, despite the worry.
🔄 The speaker is encouraged to reframe their worry by treating it as something external, rather than internal.
💪 The speaker is advised to challenge the thoughts of worry when they arise, using evidence of their past performance.
📅 The speaker plans to apply this new approach during their next hiring event, which is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed by the individual in the transcript?
-The individual is feeling anxious and worried due to the pressure of hiring the right people for their company as a member of the HR team.
What specific event is causing the individual's anxiety?
-The individual is anxious about an upcoming event next week where they need to hire people for their company.
Why is the hiring process particularly stressful for this person?
-The hiring process is stressful because there is a lot resting on their judgment, and they are worried about making wrong decisions that could negatively impact the company.
What has happened in the past that has contributed to this person's current worry?
-In the past, someone else in the company hired the wrong people, which led to issues and that person getting into trouble, causing the individual to worry about repeating the same mistake.
How does the individual describe their general attitude towards worrying?
-The individual describes themselves as a worrier, worrying about everything and identifying as a 'warrior' due to this constant state of worry.
What strategy is suggested to help the individual cope with their worry?
-The strategy suggested is to reframe worry as a separate entity, external to oneself, and to challenge the thoughts that worry introduces rather than identifying with them.
What is the individual's current role in the company's hiring process?
-The individual is a key member of the HR team, often relied upon to hire the most people for the company.
How does the individual's past performance in hiring reflect on their ability to make good decisions?
-The individual's past performance suggests they have done a good job in hiring, as they are trusted by the company to be a primary decision-maker in the hiring process.
What evidence does the individual have that suggests they are capable of making good hiring decisions?
-The individual has successfully hired people who have been worthwhile to the company, and they are trusted by their bosses to continue doing so.
What is the next step for the individual in terms of applying the reframing strategy?
-The next step is to apply the reframing strategy during the next interview session, which is scheduled for the following Wednesday.
What is the individual's plan after trying the reframing strategy?
-The individual plans to meet with the person they are speaking to in a week to discuss how the reframing strategy worked and to build upon it.

Outlines

00:00

😟 Work-Related Anxiety and Hiring Pressure

The speaker, who identifies as a member of the HR team, expresses anxiety stemming from the upcoming hiring event at work. They are one of a few responsible for the hiring process and are under significant pressure to select the right candidates for the company. The speaker is worried about making wrong hiring decisions, which could negatively impact the company and potentially lead to their own job being at risk. They have a history of being a worrier, but the current situation with hiring has heightened their anxiety. The conversation suggests reframing the worry as a separate entity to help the speaker deal with it more effectively.

05:00

🛡️ Battling Anxiety with Confidence in One's Abilities

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses strategies to combat their anxiety, particularly regarding the upcoming hiring responsibilities. They acknowledge that they have been trusted by their bosses and have a history of making informed decisions, which has led to successful hires for the company. The speaker is encouraged to view their worry as an external force attempting to influence and undermine their confidence. They are advised to challenge this worry by reminding themselves of their past successes and the trust placed in them by their superiors. The goal is to reframe the worry as an outsider rather than an intrinsic part of their identity, and to prepare to apply this mindset during the next hiring event on Wednesday.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. In the video's theme, the character is experiencing anxiety due to work-related pressure, particularly concerning the hiring process. The script mentions, 'I've got a lot of pressure coming up at work and... I feel a bit anxious,' illustrating the character's internal struggle with this emotion.

💡Work-Related Stress

Work-related stress refers to the stress that individuals experience as a result of their work environment or job demands. The script highlights this concept when the character says, 'work is kind of a struggle for me because of all the pressure I'm under,' indicating that the stress is directly linked to their job responsibilities.

💡HR (Human Resources)

Human Resources (HR) is a term used to describe the department within an organization that is responsible for personnel management, including hiring, training, and employee relations. In the script, the character is a member of HR and is involved in hiring new employees, as evidenced by the line, 'I'm a member, HR and... we need to hire people.'

💡Hiring Process

The hiring process is the procedure of recruiting, screening, interviewing, and selecting new employees for a company. The video's narrative revolves around the character's concerns about this process, as they mention, 'next week we have something event where we need to hire some people,' emphasizing the importance and pressure of this task.

💡Judgment

Judgment refers to the ability to make decisions or come to conclusions based on available information. In the context of the video, the character is worried about their judgment in hiring the right people, as shown in the line, 'I'm just really worried about hiring the right people and... making these tough decisions about the future of our company.'

💡Worry

Worry is a state of being anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems. The character in the video identifies as a worrier, as they say, 'I worry about everything.' The concept of worry is central to the video's theme, as it is portrayed as a separate entity trying to influence the character's confidence.

💡Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is the feeling of uncertainty in one's own abilities or decisions. The script discusses this concept when the character expresses concern about second-guessing their instincts, as in 'I kind of second-guess my instincts on you know people and if they will be good.'

💡Reframing

Reframing is a psychological technique where one changes the perspective or interpretation of a situation to alter its emotional impact. In the video, the character is encouraged to reframe worry as a separate entity, as suggested by 'let's move the worry over here a bit and think of the worry it's almost a separate entity.'

💡Confidence

Confidence is the belief in one's own abilities or qualities, especially to succeed in a particular context. The video's character struggles with confidence due to worry, as indicated by 'the worry is trying to make me doubt myself and question my own judgment and not have faith that I'll make the right choice.'

💡Evidence-Based Decision Making

Evidence-based decision making is the process of making choices based on logical analysis of quantifiable evidence. The character is encouraged to rely on evidence from their past performance when making hiring decisions, as shown in 'I've done it okay so far like I've been doing this particular job for a while now and, I'm one of the people they rely on to do it the most.'

💡Warrior

In the video, the term 'warrior' is used metaphorically to describe the character's identity as someone who is strong and capable, as they say, 'I feel like I worry about everything... like I'm a warrior.' The character is encouraged to view worry as separate from this identity.

Highlights

Feeling anxious and worried, especially related to work pressures and hiring responsibilities.

Being part of HR and involved in hiring fairs and making important hiring decisions.

Worrying about hiring the wrong people and the impact on the company's future.

Past experiences of others making poor hiring decisions and facing consequences.

Desire to hire people who will be good for the company based on personal judgment.

Worrying as a constant part of life, not just limited to work situations.

Seeing oneself as a worrier and identifying with that label.

Re-framing worry as a separate entity rather than part of one's identity.

Worry's attempts to lower confidence and make one doubt their judgment.

Using evidence of past performance to counteract worry and self-doubt.

Recognizing that one has been trusted and relied upon for hiring responsibilities.

Challenging worry by reminding oneself of successful past hiring decisions.

Difficulties in quieting the loud and strong worry voice.

Viewing worry as an external force trying to influence and manipulate.

Experimenting with re-framing worry as an outsider to reduce its impact.

Planning to apply this re-framing strategy during the upcoming interviews next Wednesday.

Commitment to try the re-framing approach and discuss the results in the next session.