ChatGPT Confession #002
How I Used ChatGPT to Manage Anxiety While Waiting (and What It Taught Me About Business)

This is part of my ChatGPT Confessions series, where I share real things I’ve asked ChatGPT – and what actually happened.

Nine years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Since then, annual scans have become part of my life. Mammogram. Ultrasound. Results. Repeat next year.

For many years the system worked beautifully.

I would have the scans early in the morning, walk down the street for a coffee, and then sit down with my surgeon two hours later. By that time the results were already in.

No waiting.  No time for your imagination to get creative.

Because anyone who has ever waited for medical results knows exactly what happens next.  Your brain starts asking questions you wish it wouldn’t.

Many small business owners are now using ChatGPT not just for content, but to manage stress, organise their thoughts, and make clearer decisions when things feel uncertain. When you’re waiting on important outcomes – whether it’s a client decision, a website launch, or test results – uncertainty can quickly spiral into overthinking.

The Situation

Last year things changed slightly.

After many years of clear follow-ups, both my oncologist and surgeon told me that I no longer needed regular specialist appointments. Instead, I could simply have my scans done each year and review the results with my GP.

Which sounded perfectly reasonable.

So this year I booked my mammogram and ultrasound at PRP Imaging and went through the usual process.

The scans were done.  The technician was friendly.  Everything felt routine.

Then I called my GP clinic to make the follow-up appointment.

That’s when the small complication appeared.  My GP was away for almost a week.

The earliest appointment was several days later.

Now logically, that shouldn’t be a big deal.

But when you’re waiting to hear whether something has shown up on a scan… a week feels very different.

Where My Mind Went

My brain immediately went back to something that happened years earlier.

When I was first diagnosed, I had gone for what I thought was a routine mammogram.

A week later I was asked to come back for further imaging.

Most of the time, it turns out to be nothing.

But that year, it wasn’t nothing.

Because it was just before Christmas, I had to wait almost three weeks for answers.

Three weeks of sitting in uncertainty.

So now, sitting here again, waiting several days for my GP… a thought appeared.

What if the results were already there… and no one had seen them yet?

What if something had shown up and it was just sitting in an inbox somewhere?

The rational part of my brain knew I might be overthinking it.

The emotional part wasn’t interested in logic.

The Confession

So I did something I probably wouldn’t have done a few years ago.

I opened ChatGPT.

And I told it exactly what I was thinking.

Not because I wanted medical advice.

Not because I expected answers.

But because sometimes you just need to say the fear out loud.

Result of the Experiment

I explained the situation – scans done, doctor away, waiting for results.

And instead of feeding the anxiety… ChatGPT gave me context.

Simple, practical context.

What ChatGPT Explained

Imaging clinics don’t usually treat abnormal results as routine paperwork.

If something concerning appears, they typically escalate it.

They contact the referring doctor sooner.

They organise further testing.

They don’t just let it sit quietly waiting for a routine appointment days later.

I had never actually thought about that.

My assumption had always been that results just get sent… and then sit there.

But the system is more proactive than that.

And that small shift changed everything.

The waiting didn’t disappear.

But the spiral did.

What Happened Next

A few days later, I called the clinic again.

Another GP was available.  She reviewed the report.  Everything was clear.  No issues.  No follow-up required.

Just another routine check.

The kind you quietly move on from.

What ChatGPT Helped Me Realise

The anxiety wasn’t really about the result.  It was about not understanding what was happening behind the scenes.

Once I understood the process, the fear lost its grip.

Sometimes your brain fills in the gaps with worst-case scenarios… simply because no one has explained the system properly.

The Prompt I Used

“If I’ve had a mammogram and ultrasound and my doctor is away, would abnormal results just sit there, or would the clinic escalate it?”

Why I Asked This

Because I didn’t want reassurance.

I wanted to understand what was actually happening.

There’s a difference.

What ChatGPT Did Well

• It didn’t dismiss the concern
• It didn’t give medical advice
• It explained the process clearly

And that was enough to settle my thinking.

What This Means for Small Business Owners

This has nothing to do with health… and everything to do with how we think.

When you don’t understand how something works behind the scenes, your brain fills the gap.

Usually with worst-case scenarios.

This shows up in business all the time:

• “Why hasn’t a client replied?”
• “Why isn’t my website converting?”
• “Is something broken?”

Sometimes the problem isn’t the situation.

It’s the lack of clarity.

And once you understand what’s actually happening, everything feels different.

If your website or systems feel unclear or uncertain, that’s usually a sign something needs to be simplified or explained better.

AI Takeaway

AI won’t replace experts.  But it can help you think more clearly while you’re waiting for answers.  And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

How you can use this approach in your business:

• When you’re waiting on a decision → ask ChatGPT to map out possible outcomes
• When you feel overwhelmed → use it to organise your thoughts logically
• When you’re overthinking → ask for a neutral breakdown of what’s likely vs unlikely

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