The Stop Freaking Out IQ Matrix explores how to avoid the trap of overreacting to the drama, struggles, and setbacks that life inevitably throws our way. When unexpected problems arise, it’s easy to lose our minds and think the worst of our circumstances. However, habitual responses such as this never help or improve the situation.
A better way to respond is to stop freaking out and start actively managing your perceptions and expectations of the situation. And that always begins with a little foresight. Specifically, it starts with anticipating problems, mistakes, failure, and disappointment in advance. Only through the act of controlled anticipation will you begin taking charge of your emotional reactions and can start making the best of your circumstances.
Here is a quick breakdown of each branch of the Stop Freaking Out mind map.
ANTICIPATE: Drama, setbacks, struggle, adversity, and problems are an inevitable part of life. Even though these things are unavoidable, we typically fail to prepare for them in advance. If we did, we would avoid a great deal of pain and disappointment. The first branch of this map explores how to use foresight to anticipate things going badly. Only through anticipating problems will you develop the resourcefulness needed to work through them effectively.
DELAY: To ensure that you don’t immediately “freak out” when things go wrong, it’s essential to delay your response and separate yourself from the situation. The second branch of this map outlines how to recognize and calm your thoughts then objectively and curiously assess your circumstances.
TAKE CONTROL: Having prevented an overreaction, it’s time to progressively take control of the situation. The third branch of this map takes you through the importance of narrowing your focus and shifting your perspective. It also outlines three things that you must focus on to start taking charge of your circumstances. Only through progressive control will you successfully redirect your thoughts, focus, and actions toward desirable outcomes.
MAKE: To fully move through the difficulties you face, it’s vital that you start building momentum that moves you away from your problems and toward the things you desire to create and have in your life. The final branch of this map examines the importance of finding meaning and purpose in your work. When you focus on doing meaningful things that matter, you’re no longer focused on the problems but rather on making progress toward something that brings joy and fulfillment.
This map provides a roadmap and framework for anticipating unpleasant events and making the most of your circumstances. Referencing it regularly and committing it to memory will help you embed these concepts and ideas into your subconscious mind.
A mind map, of course, does this beautifully because it mirrors the synaptic connections made in your brain as you try to establish new habits of thought and behavior. It brings together key concepts and ideas that help your brain to fully integrate and process this information. The brain, subsequently, rewires itself as it attempts to establish new habits of mind. It’s an ideal tool for creating lasting change and transformation.
When you purchase the Stop Freaking Out IQ Matrix you will receive:
- A PDF copy of the IQ Matrix, which you can use for printing in high resolution.
- A JPG image file of the IQ Matrix, which is ideal for viewing on tablets and mobile devices.
- An Idea Generation Template of the IQ Matrix that provides you with a segmented canvas for brainstorming ideas about this topic.
- A Free Form Template of the IQ Matrix that provides you with an almost blank canvas for exploring this topic in a multitude of creative ways.
- A Memory Recall Template of the IQ Matrix that helps you recall the information contained within the map from memory.
- A Language Translation Template of the IQ Matrix that provides you with a canvas for translating the content of this map into another language.
- A MindManager file for those who wish to edit the content of the mind map (text only version).
- An Xmind file for those who want an alternative to MindManager (text only version).
- A Desktop Background version of the map you can use for reference on your computer.
- A Second and Third Version of the map with an additional layer of text that gives you deeper insights into this topic.
Additional visual resources and variations of this IQ Matrix will be added to your account page at no extra cost when made available.
