Challenging Catastrophic Thinking  

Have you ever searched your symptoms online when you’re sick, only for the search results to tell you that your condition is dramatically worse than you could have imagined? Well, this will give you an idea of what catastrophic thinking looks like. Catastrophic thinking, or catastrophizing, is a habit of immediately assuming that the worst possible outcome is inevitable in any situation, regardless of the facts.

Catastrophizing leads to heightened anxiety, panic attacks, and emotional meltdowns. Even so, catastrophic thinking often feels like a natural tendency for those who do it. There are ways of changing your habits and altering your thought patterns for the better, but first, you must understand why you assume the worst and how it affects you.

A Twisted Reality

Catastrophic thinking is a cognitive distortion. This means that your brain interprets events with a strong bias that is not often rooted in reality, or is an extreme exaggeration of reality. For example:

• If you conclude that your friend is angry with you or has lost interest in you because they don’t reply to your text messages promptly, you might be catastrophizing the situation.
• If you get agitated each time you fly because you believe a plane crash is inevitable, that is catastrophic thinking.
• If you automatically assume the worst while waiting for routine test results after a health checkup, you are likely catastrophizing.

The human brain craves conclusion and certainty. The problem comes, however, when you find yourself in a situation where the outcome is uncertain or vague. Your brain is a little too good at filling in the gaps, but it doesn’t always do this logically. When you experience a cognitive distortion of catastrophic thinking, your brain finds the worst possible outcome and then convinces you it is inevitable.

Unsurprisingly, catastrophic thinking often shows up alongside anxiety, depression, OCD, and trauma-related conditions. In fact, it is the driving force behind some of these conditions, intensifying and prolonging them. While it is not a disorder or condition on its own, it is a broken way to view the world, making it seem more confusing and scary than it actually is.

When you always assume the worst outcome is inevitable, not only does it keep you trapped in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety, but it also prevents you from being objective, hopeful, celebratory, and tolerant of discomfort. Ultimately, catastrophic thinking may lead to a downward spiral that results in you becoming completely overwhelmed by a situation or event that might not have been a cause for concern in the first place.

Challenging Catastrophic Thinking

If you tend to catastrophize, you have likely been doing it for years. This means that there is a groove in your brain into which your thoughts naturally flow. Whenever you are faced with an uncertain event, or when you are triggered by something unseen, you will naturally jump to the worst conclusion, stress about things you can’t change, and wait on the edge of your seat for the impending doom.

This is exhausting, and it drains the joy, excitement, and enthusiasm out of life. However, all is not lost.

Learn to identify catastrophic thinking A person’s brain tends to work on autopilot, going through the same habits and motions as it has always done. It usually takes someone else’s perspective to tell you when you have slipped into catastrophic thinking. However, over time, you can learn what catastrophizing looks like for you, and call it out for yourself when you begin doing it. Awareness is always the first step in taking actionable steps.

Consider catastrophic thoughts and weigh them up When you try to banish or repress certain thoughts, all that ends up happening is that you drive them further into your mind and focus more on them than you did before. The most effective way of challenging these thoughts is to hold them up to logic. There are three questions you can ask yourself as you bring logic into catastrophic thinking:

What evidence shows that this thought is absolutely true?
What evidence shows that this thought is false?
What is another possible explanation for these events?

For example, you receive an email from your boss late on a Sunday night that says, “We need to have a meeting tomorrow.” You immediately begin catastrophizing, imagining the worst-case scenario in which you will undoubtedly be fired. Ask yourself, what is the evidence that you will be fired? Then consider what would disprove this idea. Lastly, consider any other potential outcome of the meeting the following day.

Considering these questions helps create a pause in the situation, and over time, it will slow down your reaction and prevent you from going into panic mode over scraps of information. Eventually, you will begin to shift your brain out of alarm mode and into a space where you can find a different perspective.

It’s important to note that you can’t just think your way out of catastrophizing. The reason this next step is effective is that it disarms your nervous system so that you can regulate your mood and start using different hemispheres of your brain to process the situation. It is only when you get out of your head and back into your body that you will begin to move past catastrophic thinking.

Ground yourself Catastrophic thinking is entirely focused on the future, and on what might This type of thinking translates to anxiety and fear, which in turn affects your body. Elevated heart rate, shallow breathing, higher blood pressure, aches and pains, increased sweating, and more extreme reactions are all physical symptoms of catastrophic thinking. In short, your thoughts affect your body.

You can challenge these negative effects by redirecting your attention from the future onto the here and now. Use mindfulness techniques (such as deep breathing) and focus on something you can hear, see, smell, taste, and feel. Shift your focus to the physical world around you in the moment, and focus on slowing and deepening your breathing. Doing this will de-escalate your thoughts, disarm your nervous system, and ultimately bring you out of panic mode.

These steps are only effective if you practice them regularly or consistently each time you are in a mode of catastrophic thinking.

Standing on Scripture

Throughout the Bible, various verses remind us of the power we have to overcome negative thinking.

Romans 12:2 instructs us to be “transformed by the renewing of the mind.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 teaches us to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Timothy 1:7 assures us that “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound mind.”

These are just some of the many verses found throughout the Word of God. They provide powerful teaching on how to conquer catastrophic thinking. Sometimes it feels dangerous to hope for something good. What if it never happens? How will I deal with the bitter disappointment of not getting a positive outcome?

Thoughts like these are sadly often realistic in today’s world. However, a what-if question goes both ways. What if you succeed? What if things turn out better than you could have possibly expected? What if, instead of immediately shutting down hope, you allowed yourself to trust in something good?

In every situation, try asking yourself, “What would the best possible outcome be?” You might not always get an unexpected breakthrough, but looking to the horizon for help is better than hanging your sword up in defeat.

Find Help

Challenging cognitive distortions like catastrophic thinking is not easy to do alone. Speaking with a counselor, however, provides someone with a neutral and informed perspective who can help. If you would like to meet with me or another counselor, contact our reception team for more information.