I heard a wonderful podcast last week–a story told by a woman who participated in a trial drug for her depression. She was given a month’s worth of pills and a very serious warning that eating chocolate while taking these pills could cause temporary or permanent blindness.

After only a few days on the drug she knew that she was receiving the real deal drugs, not the placebo pills others in the experiment were taking. Within a short amount of time her depression lifted. She began getting back into life to a satisfying degree including an improved relationship with her boyfriend.

Before the end of the 30 day trial period she made the decision to eat a chocolate doughnut. It didn’t take long for the blindness to set in, which naturally brought back a depressive reaction. She took a nap for several hours and awoke to having her sight back. When she returned to the clinic where the trial had taken place, the doctor asked her if she’d like to know what test group she’d been in, even though she already had the answer. She was open to hearing, and he told her she’d be in the placebo group.

Her mind had created her wellness and her blindness.

I relate to this story as someone who is very suggestible. I can easily go into black and white, all or nothing, reality distortion thinking. Thank goodness, I have support systems in place to quickly move me out of those locations.

I have been tracking my monthly earnings on a spreadsheet for nearly 10 years. Last month was my second to worst month in a decade. I didn’t panic, but I did concoct disaster scenarios in my mind. Hence the subtitle of this post. Stay out of your mind. It’s a dangerous neighborhood.

Mark Twain said, “My life has been full of catastrophes, most of which have never happened.” A friend reminded me of a businessman’s saying of a similar nature. Mark LeBlanc, successful business owner, coach and speaker, says:

Never trust what you feel on a daily basis. Trust the process, work your plan, and anything you want to achieve is possible.

This month’s numbers are already considerably better, but my mind wants to dismiss those. What’s so great about numbers is that they’re simply information. The emotions I attach to them are all of my own making. But I can’t argue with the upward trend.

Is your mind creating a reality distortion? Do you have a place to come to to rein it in? My tip is to go out of your mind and into the safe harbor of colleagues and trusted advisers who will provide a reality check for you. I have my Mastermind Group meeting tonight. I am 99% sure I will heard what I’ve heard before, “Jane, you say the same thing every spring at this time. Take a vacation!” I’ve already got it scheduled.