How can you stop catastrophizing?

Recently Dr. Gayle MacBride was asked that very question. Here’s her response:

First of all, we all do some level of catastrophic thinking. Also known as catastrophizing (sometimes I call it “awfulizing” just to make it easier to pronounce), involves imagining the worst possible outcomes in a situation and can lead to anxiety and stress; it can result in a downward spiral of anxiety and hopelessness. 

Here are some strategies to avoid catastrophic thinking and diffuse these (sometimes scary) thoughts if you find yourself already in the midst of it:

1. Awareness: Recognize when you are engaging in catastrophic thinking. Being aware of the thought patterns is the first step in addressing them. I teach my clients that this is a common pattern and ask them to watch for it, name it, and then to begin to learn how to make subtle changes in their thought patterns so they are more accurate and realistic.

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts: Ask yourself if the catastrophic thoughts are based on evidence or if they are driven by emotion and fears. Challenge these negative thoughts with logic and evidence. It can be helpful to do things like rate how likely is the bad thing to happen. Or sometimes noticing that you just told yourself “what if” which often stops us in our tracks and doesn’t get us to the most likely outcome. When we stop “what if” and get to the logical conclusion, it’s often not as scary as we thought.

3. Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques help to balance the sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight/freeze) with a response that requires that parasympathetic nervous system (rest/digest). Don’t’ try to force the feeling to go away, accept it and focus on something else. 

   • Practice mindfulness to stay present in the moment. Focus on your breathing and physical sensations.

   • Grounding techniques, like the 5-4-3-2-1 method (name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste), can help shift your focus away from catastrophic thoughts.

4. Relaxation Techniques: Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation to reduce overall anxiety.

5. Accurate Self-Talk: Replace negative self-talk with realistic and accurate statements. Remind yourself of past successes and coping abilities. 

6. Problem Solving: If your catastrophic thinking is related to a specific issue, break it down into smaller, manageable steps and work on finding solutions. This can give you a sense of control.

7. Limit Information Consumption: If you find that excessive exposure to negative news or information (eg Doom Scrolling) is fueling your catastrophic thinking, consider limiting your media consumption.

8. Seek Support: Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or therapist about your thoughts and feelings. They can provide perspective and emotional support.

9. Distraction: Engage in activities that you enjoy or that require your full attention to distract yourself from catastrophic thoughts temporarily.

10. Professional Help: If catastrophic thinking becomes chronic and significantly impacts your daily life, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. They can provide therapy and strategies tailored to your specific situation.

Remember that it takes time and practice to change thought patterns, so be patient with yourself as you work on reducing catastrophic thinking. Consistently applying these strategies can help you gain better control over your thoughts and reduce anxiety.

I think the advice or skill that my clients like the best is a series of questions we rehearse that takes them through a series of logical self reflection. A favorite is often asking themselves where their information is coming from “Says who?” and it’s often here they realize it’s their “anxiety brain” and often they are able to separate themselves from the emotion for long enough to step out of the catastrophizing. My personal favorite is looking at possible vs probable. Nailing down that while something is possible it’s not likely and it forces me to be more accurate about the outcomes that are most likely.

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