Stop Catastrophizing and Start Doing This Instead
Do you find yourself always waiting for the other shoe to drop? Constantly worried that your biggest fears and worst-case scenarios will come true?
If you tend to gravitate toward the negative and have come to expect the worst, you may be catastrophizing: The act of exaggerating the negative consequences of a situation or decision, or deeming an unfortunate or challenging situation an absolute disaster. Catastrophizing is also used to describe an overly negative mindset and way of perceiving the future.
We all worry about things every now and again, or think about what we’d do if a worst-case scenario unfolds. But persistent catastrophic thinking can affect our well‑being and is linked to mental health conditions like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and others.
Even in the face of overwhelming negative thoughts and assumptions, there are things you can do to start viewing the future and, yes, even difficult situations a bit more positively. Techniques rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on learning skills to cope with unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Check out these four CBT-based strategies that may help you reframe your thoughts and swap catastrophic thinking for a more positive mindset.
Differentiate Between Thoughts and Facts
A tenet of CBT is recognizing the relationship between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Within the CBT framework, worrisome thoughts may lead us to feel anxious or other uncomfortable emotions. These emotions then lead us to act in ways that can alleviate anxiety in the short term—like avoiding a situation—but in the long term aren't helpful.
Research suggests it’s possible to interrupt this cycle with practices like identifying your thoughts as just thoughts—not facts.
Let’s say you’re worried your boss is going to fire you because her emails have been a bit curt. In reality, there can be many possible explanations: Maybe she feels rushed and is answering your questions quickly in between meetings, or perhaps she's frustrated about something that has nothing to do with you. The thought that you might get fired is just a thought—it’s not a fact.
When you catch yourself in one of these thought loops, take a few minutes to write about the situation. Describe what’s going on in a few words or a sentence; then write down the alternative, more positive reasons why it may have unfolded.
Evaluate the Likelihood of Worst-Case Scenarios
When you make a habit of catastrophic thinking, you may skip over the other potential explanations of a situation and immediately jump to how it could all go awry.
One way to get out of this headspace is to engage in a cognitive restructuring activity, like evaluating the likelihood of these different scenarios coming true. Cognitive restructuring is another core component of CBT, which challenges the individual to recognize an overly negative thought, identify the evidence that disputes it, and adjust the thought going forward.
For example, if you want to ask a love interest out to dinner, but worry they’ll say no and make a rude remark, push yourself to evaluate the likelihood of that outcome. Does that outcome align with what you know about them as a person?
Now, ask yourself to think of a more likely outcome. Maybe they'll say yes—or politely decline and ask to remain friends. Either is likely a much more reasonable response compared to where your mind originally jumped to.
Importantly, this technique isn’t about “staying positive” and ignoring your worrisome thoughts altogether. Instead, it’s about checking those thoughts and measuring how closely they match reality.
Take a Time-Based Perspective
This CBT technique, which pushes you to take a time-based approach to your worries in an effort to put them in perspective, is especially useful when you’re catastrophizing about an upcoming event, like a job interview or large social gathering that may spike social anxiety.
To take a time-based perspective, simply ask yourself:
- Will the outcome of this matter 10 days from now?
- Will the outcome matter 10 months from now?
- Will the outcome matter 10 years from now?
You might find that although your negative thoughts feel all-consuming right now, viewing them from a distance may help them feel less burdensome and more manageable.
In fact, research suggests that engaging in this kind of distancing may help reduce distress and anxiety (and remind you that your particular worry may not matter for more than 10 minutes).
Notice When Things Go Right
If you're a worrier or chronic catastrophizer, you may find it difficult to notice when things work out in your favor—or, at the very least, don’t line up with your worst-case scenario. But making a point to recognize when your worst fears didn’t come true may help you manage or reduce anxious feelings.
One strategy is to simply pause after something goes right (think: getting positive feedback on a work project, or that family gathering you were dreading turning out to be free of drama) and say to yourself, “That was good,” or, “See, the worst-case didn’t come true!”
Consider keeping a journal or using the notes app on your phone to mark down the instances when your catastrophic thoughts don’t come true. Then, the next time find yourself catastrophizing, come back to this list and remember how things played out.
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