Are you guilty of making your life harder by thinking of the irrational, worst possible scenario? Do you have the habit of assuming the worst will happen to you? Surprise, surprise! You’re not alone. In fact, they have a legit term for this. It is called catastrophic thinking or Catastrophizing. 

Catastrophic thinking is repeatedly overestimating the potential dangers, negative thinking about what is likely to happen in future. It is fearing the worst consequences, way ahead of time, which to others may seem unrealistic and irrational. The extent of this thinking, obviously, varies from person to person. Needless to say, with higher extent of this, higher chances of it negatively affecting the quality of life, relationships, physical and mental well being, work and more.

For example, having pain in the left arm and assuming it might be a heart attack. Feeling a lump in the breast and falsely predicting it to be breast cancer. In case of a mistake made at work place, predicting getting fired for the same. It can also appear as being hypercritical of others actions. In case of relationships, feeling that the other person is cheating when they’re unavailable or s/he has left you.

Catastrophizing is our reaction to the uncertainties in life. Uncertainty is seen as danger by our brain. 18-35 is the age where our life is most uncertain, hence more likely to be experienced in this age group. This is the time when we’re choosing our career paths, switching jobs, choosing partners, starting a family and much more. Prefrontal cortex which helps with problem solving, anticipating events, managing emotional reactions is still developing in our 20s. This is why 20s is considered the best time to develop new habits including thinking things through and allowing to slow things down.

Why do we assume the worst?

While the main underlying cause is unknown. Following are the possible reasons-

Genetic predisposition-When our ancestors were strolling through the jungle and the bushes, they were dealing with very uncertain situations. For their safety, they had to wonder what across the corner would really be. Hence, the most primitive part of our brain works on “better safe than sorry”.

Past experiences and environment– If you really think of it, a child doesn’t think of the worst. As we grow up, we go through our own set of bad experiences. In order to protect ourselves from the worst, we start imagining the worst case scenario. We begin to think of it as our learning from the past experiences and a strategy of preventing ‘the hurt’ in future. By doing so, we happen to think ourselves as better prepared for the worst. Although, we do like to imagine that if it doesn’t actually happen, we’ll feel relieved. 

Sadly, it doesn’t happen. It is hard for our mind to emotionally differentiate between our imagination of the worst and reality.

Habit of catastrophic thinking

Slowly in life, without really realizing it, some people tend to make it their habit to assume the worst. Habits are bad to break. Probably because in most of the cases, the person has spent years of their life reacting the same way. Even if you try to learn to manage, bad habits are ready to jump back in your life when you’re highly emotional.

Also read: The fear of being mediocre and a failure

What happens when we get into catastrophic thinking?

While assessing our `what ifs’  we tend to experience higher levels of distress, anxiety and ponder more on our worries. As the anxiety grows, the belief of the worst outcome happening gets more and more real in the brain. If the cycle continues for long, it may interfere with daily activity of some people including difficulty in handling day to day tasks, relationships, and concentration. In extreme cases, it may even lead to panic attacks.

Dealing with catastrophic thinking

• Do not time travel. Stay where you are. Don’t think too ahead of yourself. Not yet.
• Focus more on what is_ from what if, to what is
• Imagine your worst case scenario- What is it that you’re most afraid of? How will your life change if your worst fear was to become a reality?
• Play out your best case scenario- make it as extreme and dramatic as the worst case
• Best case possibility: On the basis of your worst and the best case scenario, think of the outcomes that are most likely to happen and are realistic. For this to happen, you have to control your fears first and make rational decisions. Come up with a strategic plan for coping with the situation. 
• Remember life is not black and white. We most often tend to think of events likely to happen as black and white. More likely black in cases of anxiety. In reality, our life hangs somewhat in the middle of it all.
• Be confident. You’re only human. Humans make mistakes and it is completely fine. 
• Reach out for support. The best way to get a perspective is to talk to someone sensible. 

Remember that life is full of risks and uncertainties. It is normal to assess your “what ifs’ but also, try making rational judgements. How your threat involved is likely to happen. Dismiss the thoughts as just ‘thoughts’ and try focusing on your day to day life. The flexibility in being able to question yourself and changing beliefs is the key. It takes a lot of conscious effort, patience and time. Hopefully with time you’ll be able to learn and manage your thoughts.

Sources:

https://anxietyhouse.com.au/catastrophic-thinking/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/in-the-face-adversity/201103/catastrophic-thinking