Hey everybody! Happy Monday.
Today we're going to talk about catastrophizing, and how to stop it.
But before we jump into that, a huge thank you to Curiosity Stream
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Okay, now let's get into today's topic.
To catastrophize is to imagine the worst possible outcome of an action or event.
And, let's be honest, it's something that we've all done.
We have something happen to us, or to those around us,
and we automatically think the worst.
It can start out as a small worry.
And then slowly but surely, we have considered
every possible way something could go wrong.
Or have already decided that everything is going to go wrong.
It can change our mood, affect our ability to think clearly,
and even hurt our relationships.
Many psychologists and other researchers believe
that catastrophizing is bourne out of anxiety.
Anxiety is diagnosed when we have a lot of worry,
and no matter what we do, we aren't able to control it.
And that's part of the diagnositc criteria for generalized anxiety disorder.
So if you want more information about that or other anxiety disorders,
I will link my anxiety playlist in the description.
Researchers also label catastrophizing as a cognitive distortion,
which is when our mind convinces us of something that actually isn't true.
Common cognitive distorions are things like black and white thinking,
filtering, and over-generalization, just to name a few.
Now you may be wondering: "Okay Katie, I know what catastrophizing is.
But how do I stop doing it?"
No, no, no, no, no. Why would we want to stop doing this?
We can't just pretend nothing's going on and that things are okay.
If we don't consider how bad things could get or anything like that,
how can we even be prepared?
Because that is when things can really, really go bad for me.
I'm not telling you to be naive or to set yourself up for failure.
All I'm saying is that there are things we can do
to better manage our urge to catastrophize
so that it doesn't end up ruining things for us.
And, the first way to do that is to check the facts.
We often have thoughts about a situation or experience.
Instead of checking those thoughts to ensure they're based in fact,
we often just belive them, right away.
And remember, thoughts themselves-- they're not facts. They're just thoughts.
And, thinking a certain thought over and over and over doesn't make it true either.
I want you to really think about that. Pun intended.
So, be a detective. Look for evidence to support that thought or possibly,
and more healthfully, search for things to support a more positive outlook.
And that can stop our urge to catastrophize.
But what if that doesn't work?
What if I have a lot of evidence to support my worry?
I mean, I remember clearly that before I was shunned
from my jerk of a friend group in high school,
they were all whispering all the time!
So, if I see a friend of mine whispering with someone else
and I'm not included in that whispering,
that's all the evidence that I need to prove that they're gonna leave me.
So, what I do, is I leave them first, so that I don't get hurt.
Okay, I know that that can feel like evidence.
But when something like that happens, we have to communicate
with the person that we saw whispering, for example.
Tell them about our past, and our current worry, and see what they say.
Only then can we have real evidence.
Otherwise, we're just transferring our old experience onto this new one, you know?
Okay, moving on. My next tip is to learn how to self-soothe.
And I know this one may sound silly, or possibly really hard to do.
But it's such an important skill to learn.
And all we have to do is to make a list of things that feel good to us.
Use your five senses. Are there smells that you like, or ones that ground you?
Maybe there's a fuzzy pair of socks or comfy sweatpants you enjoy.
This could also be achieved by paying attention to our breath
and doing some 4 by 4 breathing, which is when you breathe in for 4 seconds,
hold it at the top for 4 seconds, and breathe out for 4 seconds.
And you do that 4 times.
And my final tip is to come up with a soothing mantra.
Like, "this thought or emotion will pass." Or, "I'm here and I'm okay."
Try this out, you know. Whatever works for you.
See, that's the thing, Katie. Nothing works for me.
I don't wanna be in my body. I have never felt calm.
And I hate breathing exercises. So thanks for nothing.
I told you I had a reason to be upset and to worry about things.
I still know everything is gonna go wrong. Ugh.
Okay, okay, okay, I hear you. Each of these tips are different,
and some may work better for you than others.
And since it seems like today is a particularly difficult time for you,
I have to ask... Have you taken care of your basic needs yet today?
What does that mean? My "basic needs".
Well, basic needs are just that: basic. They're the things that we need to do
in order to accomplish anything that's asked of us.
Things like sleeping well, eating when we're hungry,
and having supportive people in our lives.
In DBT, we call this "halt." Hungry, angry, lonely, tired.
Check in on those things before trying any other tools.
Because if we haven't taken care of our basic needs first,
we can't do the other things. Or at least, not do them as well.
And that can make us more susceptible to those catastrophic thoughts.
Ugh... [sigh]
So it looks like you're still with me.
But if you are still struggling with urges
to go down that negative catastrophic thought spiral,
I have two more tricks up my sleeve. First is to distract.
Sometimes we don't feel well, or we're super tired,
and just can't find the energy to fight the thoughts.
And don't worry, that's okay. We can do something else for a bit,
until the urge to catastrophize passes.
These must be healthy, or at least benign things, like going for a walk
talking to a friend, or watching your favorite show,
playing your favorite video game. Whatever gets your mind off the issue
and gives the urge the time it needs to pass. Because it will.
My goal for my patients is to keep them distracted for 30 minutes,
then check back in on how they're feeling,
and then try maybe another one of the tips or tools I offered.
But isn't ignoring how we're feeling bad? Isn't that like the opposite of therapy?
I don't get this at all!
That's actually a great question, I'm really glad that you brought that up.
[dramatic sigh]
Distractions can sometimes feel like stuffing things down or ignoring,
but they are in fact, different.
Distractions are a way to put something on the back burner.
Meaning-- can't deal with this right now, for whatever reason,
so I'm going to distract with something else
like a coping skill, work, game, etc. until I can deal with it later.
That's the difference.
Distracting is short term and ends with us actually
working on the issue or expressing what's going on.
Stuffing things down means we never come back
to that issue or urge until it potentially erupts later.
Oh, I guess that makes a little bit of sense.
Good! Okay, my final tip is to see a professional.
This could be a therapist, psychiatrist, or any other mental health professional.
It's great to get some extra support or insight into why we are catastrophizing.
Is it because of our anxiety? Maybe this urge comes from some trauma in our past.
Seeing a professional can help us see our urge to catastrophize in a whole new light.
And they can offer other tools and resources
to help you better manage the urge until it goes away for good.
Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there.
I am not gonna pay a stranger to listen to me talk about my problems.
That's just creepy. And, from what I've heard,
they just try to push medication onto you. Which I am not into.
It's gonna be a hard pass.
I know therapy can be odd and feel uncomfortable at first.
But speaking with someone who is unfamiliar with you
and your situation can be so helpful.
That way, they don't have any assumptions about us,
or know anything about our past unless we decide to tell them.
That allows them to maybe see things we wouldn't, and try out tools or techniques
that we didn't even know existed.
And as for medication, that may help some people,
but if you aren't comfortable or interested in it, just say so.
It's your body and your treatment.
And besides-- therapists can't prescribe medication anyways.
Oh! I guess I can give that a try, I didn't realize that.
Well, I hope some of you found that helpful.
I know we can all get caught up in negative thought cycles,
but there are so many things we can do to stop that from happening.
And as always, do you have any other tips to share?
Please leave what has helped you deal with that in the comments down below.
And thanks again to Curiosity Stream for sposoring this video.
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Have a wonderful week, and I will see you next time. Bye!
My "basic needs".
[laughs]
It's my first foray into acting. [Laughter] So ridiculous.
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