1When something frightens you the mind offers one option: do not go. Force out two or three more before judging any of them, daft ones included. Choosing needs something to choose between.
There is an order that works. Say what the problem actually is, in one sentence. List some options without weighing them yet. Then go through what is good and bad about each, pick one, try it, and look at what happened. The listing has to come before the judging, or the second option never gets said out loud at all.
Islamic evidence
go and seek news of Joseph and his brother and do not despair of God's mercy (Quran 12:87). The instruction is to go and find out, which is the opposite of the option fear keeps putting forward.
“My sons, go and seek news of Joseph and his brother and do not despair of God’s mercy- only disbelievers despair of God’s mercy.’”
Qur'an 12:87
Psychological evidence
A randomised clinical trial found that a focused treatment built around behavioural experiments, in which people go and test what they believe about uncertainty, helped adults with generalised anxiety disorder. Trying an option and seeing what happens is that same move in ordinary clothes. The trial was in generalised anxiety and is evidence about testing beliefs rather than about this particular sequence of steps.
Dugas MJ, Sexton KA, Hebert EA, Bouchard S, Gouin JP, Shafran R. (2022). Behavior therapy · doi
Review detail
Why it works. Avoidance stays the only answer for as long as it is the only one that ever gets thought of.