Catastrophising: understanding why we do it and how to stop

Examples of catastrophising

Imagine you have made a small mistake at work. Instead of looking at this as an isolated incident, you might start to catastrophise. You might think:

• "I'm going to lose my job because of this mistake”
• “Then I won't be able to pay my bills. I'll lose my house”
• “This one mistake is going to ruin my life"

This a typical example of catastrophising. A single event, which lots of people would consider to be small and reasonably insignificant, suddenly spirals into something critical and anxiety-inducing.

Catastrophising can have an impact on all aspects of life, affecting your relationships, health, career and even daily tasks. It's important to recognise this pattern of thinking to begin managing it.

Here are some more examples of catastrophising:

• Health: imagine experiencing a minor headache and immediately jumping to the conclusion that it must be a sign of a severe, life-threatening condition
• Relationships: if a friend cancels plans, catastrophising may lead you to believe that they no longer value your friendship and that you'll end up alone
• Future: projecting catastrophic scenarios onto the future, such as believing that a minor setback will derail all your goals and dreams

Why do we catastrophise?

There's no single cause for catastrophising. For those who do it, it’s likely there are a number of contributing factors.

For some people, catastrophising may be a learned response rooted in past experiences or your childhood environment. Some people may catastrophise as a result of trauma, and predicting the worst is a way of them trying to regain control in an uncertain world. It might also be a protective mechanism, preparing us for the worst to avoid disappointment or hurt, particularly when we've experienced significant trauma in the past.

Also, as humans, we naturally pay more attention to threats or negative information. This is linked to our 'fight or flight' response, an innate survival mechanism that humans developed during our evolution. This can fuel catastrophising, especially in times of stress or uncertainty.

Other explanations for catastrophising include:

• Perfectionism: striving for perfection and having rigid expectations can lead to an exaggerated fear of failure or making mistakes. This can make it more likely that a person will catastrophise
• Negative thinking patterns: if you have a habit of dwelling on negative thoughts or have experienced past traumatic events, catastrophising may be your way of anticipating and coping with an upcoming threat
• Uncertainty and lack of control: when faced with uncertainty or situations beyond our control, catastrophising can provide a false sense of control by mentally preparing us for worst-case scenarios

Catastrophising is also widely associated with a variety of mental health disorders:

• Anxiety: people who catastrophise are more likely to suffer with an anxiety disorder – as this study in Child Psychiatry & Human Development suggests. Catastrophising when it comes to your health may, for example, be a symptom of health anxiety
• Depression: catastrophising can lead to feelings of hopelessness, guilt and other common symptoms of depression. A 2012 study in Cognitive Therapy and Research found catastrophising was a predictor of depressive and anxious symptoms in children
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): someone with PTSD might view their trauma as evidence the worst-case scenario can occur, leading to catastrophised thinking. A study of soldiers in Clinical Psychological Science found that people with higher levels of catastrophic thinking were 274% more likely to develop PTSD than those with lower levels of catastrophic thinking
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): OCD obsessions can lead someone to have persistent negative thoughts or spiralling of thoughts, which can lead to catastrophising

How to stop catastrophising

Self-guided techniques

There are exercises and lifestyle changes you could make to help with catastrophic thinking. In your day-to-day life, the following might help you to develop a more positive mindset:

• Mindfulness and grounding: stay in the present moment instead of worrying about the future. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and grounding exercises can help
• Thought-stopping techniques: when you notice that you’re beginning to catastrophise, mentally tell yourself "stop!". Then try to shift your focus to something positive or neutral, or go off and do something to keep you busy and distract you from your thoughts. You could even postpone your worries to a later time (say 6pm for 20 minutes) and each time the catastrophic thought comes up you say "I’ll deal with that later". When your worry time comes around later, it’s likely that you will either have forgotten about your worries or they don’t seem as important anymore
• Self-care: regular exercise, a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep can help manage stress and deal with anxiety, making it easier to break free from catastrophising