The slightest things can send one into a panic

I am generally feeling good about my mid-tenure review, which I am undergoing this year. I think I'm on the right track in the three big areas---teaching, research, service---and, most importantly, in the first two of those. I'm especially happy with my research: I'm getting really exciting results and have several ideas for offshoots of this work, some of which I may be able to do in a short period of time (Least Publishable Unit!). But the teaching's going well too: I feel like I have a good rapport with the students, I've tried a bunch of new things (most of which have worked well), and by all accounts I'm pretty effective in the classroom. The feedback I've received from students and colleagues has been very positive, and the not-so-positive is minor and/or fixable.

So, why is it that an offhand remark from a colleague the other day is enough to send my confidence crashing to the ground? I'm not even sure he meant it the way it came out. But no matter; my inner voice is having a field day with this one.

Concentrate on the positive. Concentrate on the positive. Concentrate on the positive.....