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How to stop catastrophizing

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Image of a girl looking down. Break free from the grip of catastrophizing thoughts. Embrace the power of perspective and mindfulness. In Houston, Wilson Counseling provides support to help you navigate challenging mental patterns.

Extreme thinking leads to extreme feelings of anxiety

One of the common traits of anxious people is that they tend to catastrophize events in their lives. For example, I might be worried that something I said to a co-worker might be construed as unprofessional and that might lead to me having a bad reputation on the job which might lead to me not being promoted, or even fired. I don't necessarily have any evidence to back this up, but I just feel like it is true. That is catastrophizing. Our Houston anxiety treatment therapists help clients learn to change their distorted thinking in order to feel calmer and happier.

For example, I was working with a client named Kim (not her real name) recently. She rated her anxiety at work at about a 10 out of 10 - in other words very high. Kim had a run in with a co-worker that had resulted in her being called into the human resources office. Ever since that time, she was highly anxious and afraid of any interaction with her co-worker. She avoided this individual, and any possible conflict, at all costs. She felt deep shame about being reprimanded. This was a woman who had twenty years of exemplary service with the company, but this one blemish seemed to define her view of herself.

Image of a man having extreme worry. Recognize the impact of extreme thinking on anxiety. At Wilson Counseling in Houston, we empower you to navigate and reframe thought patterns, fostering a more balanced and resilient mindset.

Ask yourself this questions to stop catastrophizing

To help Kim learn to decrease her catastrophizing, I asked her a question, "What are you afraid will happen?" She replied, that she was afraid of getting into a conflict with her co-worker. I asked her to write that fear on a piece of paper. Then I asked her a second question, "If you get into a conflict, what will happen?" She said she might get angry. I had her write this down. To each of her responses, I asked her the same question, "If that happens, then what?"

Her responses looked something like this: I will get into a conflict

I might get angry

I might cry or cuss

I will be embarrassed and or written up

I will get fired

I will lose my house

I will not be able to support my family

I will feel like a failure

I won't be able to face anyone

Image of a woman staring blankly at the light. Interrupt the cycle of catastrophizing by asking yourself empowering questions. At Wilson Counseling in Houston, we guide you in reshaping thought patterns to promote resilience and a more balanced minds

The reality is almost always better than the catastrophizing thoughts

By writing out her thoughts, Kim was able to see why the possibility of getting into a conflict had such a paralyzing effect on her. When we got to the end of the list, I asked Kim a third question, "What do you think the chances are that these series of events will happen?" She indicated that she thought there was only a 10% chance it would actually go down that way. In other words, there was a 90% chance it would not happen. So I asked her a final question, can you live with those odds? Kim felt pretty good about her odds, and was able to feel her anxiety and catastrophizing diminish.

This technique can be really helpful if you find yourself catastrophizing. It is important to write down your thoughts. You already have enough noise in your head when you are anxious, you don't want to add any more to it. And there is something about seeing your thoughts written out that makes them so much clearer.

Image of a woman with book and coffee on her lap. Shift your focus from catastrophizing thoughts to the reality that often proves to be better. Wilson Counseling in Houston empowers you to challenge negative thinking patterns, fostering resilience an

The formula for less stress

So, next time you start feeling anxious and catastrophizing, try asking yourself the following:

What are you worried about?

If that happens, then what?

What are the odds of that happening?

Can you live with that?

The advice in this blog is not a substitute for professional counseling. 

OTHER THERAPY SERVICES WE OFFER IN HOUSTON, TX

In addition to anxiety treatment and EMDR therapy, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals, we offer Couples and Marriage Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, School and College Counseling, Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, Perinatal and Postpartum treatment, and Infertility Counseling. As well as EMDR Therapy, and LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Career Counseling, and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.

If you’re ready to get started, please contact Wilson Counseling today. Together we can get you to a better place and help you achieve a healthier lifestyle.