How Catastrophic Thinking Relates to Anxiety
Catastrophic thinking, or catastrophizing, is when you imagine the worst possible outcome to a situation and then experience the level of anxiety as if it were true. For example:
a. You get a text message from your boss saying that they need to meet with you right away. You jump to the assumption that you’re about to be fired.
b. Or your spouse is late for dinner and can’t be reached by phone. You imagine that they’re in a car accident or have been killed.
The problem with this type of distorted cognition is that your brain reacts to these catastrophic thoughts as if they were true and your body reacts by flooding with cortisol, creating intense anxiety and putting you into fight, flight, or freeze response. Catastrophic thinking can also affect your life choices by keeping you in a box, always playing it safe, which can hold you back from achieving your goals out of a fear that is based on an assumption, not on reality.
Catastrophizing is a habit, so it takes awareness and practice to break the habit. Here are some steps to break this habit:
1. It can be helpful to consider the possibilities of what may happen as long as you include the positives on your list as well:
a. My boss may be giving me a raise or inviting me to participate in an exciting project.
b. Maybe my spouse was called to a late meeting or is driving home and not able to call.
When you can begin to balance the positives with the negatives, you develop a habit of preparedness – mentally preparing yourself for any type of outcome. This is the beginning of considering the pros and cons which lead to sound decision-making; The decision about how you choose to react.
2. When you do face a setback – see if you can consider what good could come out of it. When setbacks occur, someone who catastrophizes may spiral into self-deprecation or shaming. This can lead to depression. Thoughts such as, “I knew I’d get fired. I always mess up” or “I don’t matter to my spouse – they don’t really love me”.
a. First, it’s important to challenge the likelihood of the worst-case scenario by examining the evidence. Do I have any solid evidence that this outcome is true?
b. Then think outside the box and consider what good could possibly come from the worst-case scenario: For example,
- Talk to the boss to fully understand the reason that you were fired and ask them if there are any characteristics or habits you may need to change.
- Use your free time to self-reflect and discover what type of job better fits your personality or way of working.
- Maybe it’s time to go in a different direction altogether and pursue something that you’ve been passionate about but hesitant to consider it as an occupation (writing, or acting, or starting your own business, for example).
- It’s important to do the things you love to do – even if it means working less hours to incorporate time to take part in a play, or go to a play, or write that novel. Getting fired may allow you to find more balance in your life between work and play.
3. If you do like to write – keep a journal of the catastrophic assumptions that you’ve made and then take note of what the actual outcomes turned out to be. You may begin to see that the outcomes were for the most part, much less catastrophic than you imagined.
These are a few suggestions to overcome catastrophic thinking. You may not have much control over the thoughts that pop into your head – but you do have control over how you react to them. If you’d like to overcome catastrophic thinking, please reach out to us at 201-444-8103 for counseling. We are here to help.
About Tamara O’Shea, MAT, LAMFT
Helping individuals and couples feel whole and connected to those they love. Tamara is available in Midland Park, Bloomfield and telehealth.