I thought it would be nice to create a thread on CATASTROPHISING

My mind jumps to the bad future scenario and dwells on them.

As a result, the present can be affected,

if nothing is done about the catastrophising

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how to stop catastrophising:

  1. Acknowledging that unpleasant things happen : Life is full of challenges as well as good and bad days. Just because one day is bad does not mean all days will be bad.
  2. Recognizing when thoughts are irrational : Catastrophizing often follows a distinct pattern. A person will start with a thought, such as “I am hurting today.” They will then expand on the thought with worry and anxiety, such as, “The pain is only going to get worse,” or “This hurting means I’ll never get better.” When a person learns to recognize these thoughts, they are better equipped to handle them.
  3. Saying “stop!” : To cease the repetitive, catastrophic thoughts, a person may have to say out loud or in their head “stop!” or “no more!” These words can keep the stream of thoughts from continuing and help a person change the course of their thinking.
  4. Thinking about another outcome : Instead of thinking about a negative outcome, consider a positive one or even a less-negative option.
  5. Offering positive affirmations : When it comes to catastrophic thinking, a person has to believe in themselves and that they can overcome their tendency to fear the worst. They may wish to repeat a positive affirmation to themselves on a daily basis.
  6. Practicing excellent self-care : Catastrophic thoughts are more likely to take over when a person is tired and stressed. Getting enough rest and engaging in stress-relieving techniques, such as exercise, meditation, and journaling, can all help a person feel better.
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I was the worst at it, but ever since my pdoc maxed me on Cymbalta I pretty much cut that crap out. Well I still do it sometimes but not like 24/7 like I used to. Also CBT is helpful.

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I would also like to add

  1. Develop self-belief that I have the ability to adapt to unpleasant future situations; overcome the challenge of it

Try to practice the opposite.

When you are catastrophising think to yourself what is the opposite of the worst that could happen. What is the best that could happen. Then maybe think of something in between those 2 extremes. This way you don’t focus on the worst that can happen and you might feel a little better.

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I really like your thinking there,the problem there is that the catastrophising is like intrusive thoughts so although I tell myself the best will happen, because i value that so much, intrusive thoughts come in of a catastrophising nature

but if i tell myself that i have the strength to adapt to any given situation i feel a bit better

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I know, I use to catastrophise and it was pretty bad, but I practiced altering my thoughts, now I don’t do it anymore.

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i should think of things in terms of probability.

like how likely is it that things will be okay

compared to how likely is it that things will unfold in a disastrous way

and have confidence that way

easier said than done

hahahah

but possible

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For me experiences helped too. I use to think the worst, but it never came to pass. Sometimes bad things happen but they where never as bad as some of my most catastrophic thoughts. Once I realized these things didn’t happen it became easier to think differently, think the opposite. Now a days I don’t really catastrophize at all.

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