How do you Get Rid of Catastrophic Thinking?

The anxious person, in his opinion, is covered with germs, or is someone watching him until he takes her to describe him as greedy?

So a person with depression tends to have a negative tendency in his thinking, and this will in turn affect the way he Our catastrophic thinking emerges when our mind clings to the worst-case scenario that could happen to us every day. How often does something that doesn't hurt turn into an impending disaster in your mind? For example, you wake up in the morning and find a lump on your face and it quickly comes to your mind that it's cancerous, you might think that a trip to another country could turn into a plane crash, or you think that if your child doesn't go to a certain school, he will grow up and graduate and not get a good job .

These examples of catastrophic thinking can seem extreme, and even silly at times.. So, in this article, we will try to understand catastrophic thinking, and how to eliminate any situation that we worry about as a worst-case scenario.

* What is catastrophic thinking?

Catastrophic thinking is a real disorder with serious mental health implications, and catastrophic thinking can be so debilitating for some, instead of dismissing your fears as silly, you talk about them and add to them, as if they are imminent.

When a family member of the catastrophic minded person does not return, they automatically assume that they have had a car accident, which is a disaster, and they may assume that their boss is about to fire them every time employees call for a meeting, and they may worry that their coughing may signal the onset of a seizure. From the deadly flu, and thus this person lives in a whirlpool of phantom disasters.

We should know that bad things—and even terrible ones—happen to all people, good or bad, and cause everyone real pain, but disastrous delusions like those imagined by some of the people above cause useless suffering in their minds, real or not. That is, as the writer Mark Twain said: “I am an old man, and I have known many problems, but most of them never happened.”

* What is catastrophic thinking?

Catastrophic thinking is a cognitive distortion that makes an undesirable situation worse than it really is, or what it ought to be, and therapists consider catastrophic thinking the worst thing we can ever do.

Why do some people suffer from catastrophic thinking?

Some people may have a history of hysterical behavior, which over time unintentionally turns into a normal pattern of catastrophic thinking.

For example: A patient who was walking with her dog early in the morning in a wooded park stopped doing this, because she was convinced that she would come across a corpse, “corpses always come across people who walk their dogs.”

Catastrophic thinking can be a habit of thinking, in which automatic thoughts of catastrophic proportions occur without being summoned, and this habit can be broken with treatment, the owner may suffer from depression or anxiety, which would lead to a change in his perception of the expected results of a scenario.

For example: suppose a person is in a mood from average to happy, when he sees a coin on the sidewalk, and picks it up, he feels lucky, or he might give it to a homeless person.

But if he's depressed or anxious, he may feel like he's been put there for testing. Is he a thief or will he ignore her, and tpresents and interprets events, and when he feels depressed, the result is more catastrophic, and in contrast, anxious patients who feel anxious tend to think that catastrophic thinking is the clear and only result. for the problem.

- "I'm causing myself to suffer.. Can I stop?"

You have to confront yourself with this statement and awareness, as just asking the question “Can I stop?” His answer comes from motivational studies that indicate that asking yourself this question tends to be more motivating than simply saying, “I will stop,” or Saying, “Stop causing your own suffering,” only creates more suffering. Asking the question, “Can I stop?” It helps you see that you have a choice.

Of course, if a real catastrophe is on its way — a divorce, a death in the family, a natural disaster — the best you can ask yourself is: “How can I prepare for that event?” Yourself within the framework of normal anxiety.

If you're causing your own "what if?", acknowledge these thoughts, tell yourself one of the comforting phrases above, and then move on. When you find that your thoughts revert to your favorite catastrophic fantasies, don't get discouraged...because changing mental habits is difficult. Relapses are part of the process.

* Any other tips to reduce or get rid of catastrophic thinking?

There are a few things you can use to manage your mindset, and reduce the catastrophic drama that can take hold of it:

1. Try to identify the disaster..is it related to specific events, people or situations? Write it down.

2. Is there a time or day involved in the disaster?... If so, write it down.

3. Identify specific catastrophic thoughts and write them down.. Our minds are very effective in creating catastrophic thoughts, and they can make us very convinced of them to get rid of a situation or situation.

4. Find vocabulary that allows you to come up with realistic descriptions.. For example, words like: awful, horrible, catastrophic can easily become the default language.

5. Ask yourself if you can distinguish between

A - quarrels and terror.

b - The unpleasant event and the truly terrible event.

c- What is undesirable and life-altering.

6. Watch your thoughts.. and pay attention to them When you move from realistic, normal anxiety to unusual or unlikely scenarios, sometimes, we don't realize that our minds produce such exciting thoughts, and experts believe that the appropriate long-term solution to sharpen self-awareness is meditation Mental.. It helps us become more attuned to our thoughts, when and how they turn, and in this way we are able to better discern when our thought processes take a “left turn.”

7. Take back control of yourself

You may not be able to control everything, but you should consider the realistic options available to you at the moment.. If you are concerned about flying, research the physics behind it. Remind yourself that this practice has been around for over a century, and that you are, statistically speaking, safer in an airplane than in your car.

8. Face your fears

The only most effective way to overcome your fears is to face them, for example, if you are afraid of flying, take a vacation abroad.

9. See a psychiatrist

Having a therapist can direct you to the right thinking and appropriate assessment of events and situations, and your goal is to see the situation as bad as it is, neither better nor worse, and when you think that disasters happen like "plane crashes", and you will be right, we live in a scary world Sometimes, the above tips may not relieve your anxiety.. So seeing a therapist for individual assistance is important here.

10. take deep breath

When we are preoccupied with our catastrophic thoughts, we may not realize what is happening to our bodies. For example, your breathing may be short, your heart rate may rise and your palms may increase, and these are signs of anxiety that can be fueled by catastrophic thinking.. So take the time to feel your breath and slow your breathing It will help you get to the current situation, and get you out of the dominance of catastrophic thinking.

11. Looking at things from another angle

Ask yourself: Is there another way to look at this?” And if you are having a hard time coming to other points of view, you can ask yourself: “What would my friend say about this?” or “What would I tell my friend if he had these ideas?” ...as such questions can be very helpful, because we are often more sympathetic and hopeful when encouraging others.

12. Acknowledge the positive

Catastrophic thinking is basically negative outcomes or interpretations of situations, but life is not black or white, there are positive and negative aspects in every experience, and the key is to look in a balanced way for things no matter what.

13. Acknowledge your strengths and resources

It is worth remembering that even if the result is not perfect, you have the strength and resources to deal with it, and be resilient. If you are stressed, you can resort to relaxation, such as walking, listening to music, or drawing and coloring.

*** The bottom line

When we're in the midst of catastrophic thinking, we assume these worst-case scenarios are inevitable facts, but if we pause and reflect, we can support ourselves in the real things, and we can remind ourselves of our resilience...because better talking to oneself will help us get through." what if?" Faster so that we can focus our thoughts on what really matters in life, and make the Reducing Catastrophic Thinking a life-long project.