It's always more difficult when it's work related because future positions can depend on what is said. Most paranoid thoughts I can brush off with a "What's the worst that can happen?".....really nothing....but with work, not getting a new position because can be devastating.

The thing is that IN REALITY there is nothing you can really do to stop it if it happens but to just keep your ears open to hear anything & counter it with the TRUTH. Deal with it IF if happens. Worrying doesn't help because if it doesn't happen then you have worried for nothing & if it does happen there is nothing you could have done to stop it. SOOOO, I let my focus for a little while be what would I do IF this happens, then let it go to see what happens in REALITY & be ready to counter if necessary.

That is my logical minds way of dealing with things that could possibly happen in my life rather than hang on the paranoid thoughts.

As far as trusting someone, I find that I never fully trust anyone until after knowing them for a long time & having their trust PROVEN to me. I don't share anything about myself until I feel safe to trust what they might do with the information & as for trusting they will do what they claim I give it time for them to prove themselves before investing my expectations on them. I keep the distance during my observation mode. Some things we just have to trust on an initial basis like a job offer being real but the stability of the job, some times only looking at their stocks & into their public files on the business can help see possible issues they otherwise try to hide.

Life is definitely not black & white