What does catastrophic thinking mean?
Catastrophic thinking or catastrophizing thinking describes a type of thought pattern and is one of the so-called cognitive (i.e. mental) distortions. In psychology, cognitive distortions are the tendency to react to thoughts, feelings and sensory perceptions in an incorrect or distorted way – that is, not to perceive reality as it is, but to place a mental filter over it. There are many different cognitive distortions. In our article we look primarily at catastrophic thinking.
When you think catastrophically, you predict a bad outcome to a situation without considering other more likely (and usually less catastrophic) possibilities. For example, if someone you care about doesn’t contact you for a few hours and you then think that something terrible must have happened and that the person may have had an accident, that is catastrophic thinking. However, it is much more likely that he or she is currently immersed in another activity and is simply not looking at the cell phone.
Admittedly, some events that happen to us are simply negative. However, sometimes we tend – some more, some less – to perceive the consequences of this event as much worse than it is. We catastrophize. For example, if you had an argument with your partner, it’s anything but nice. Of course, you can also initially evaluate this with negative thoughts. But if you evaluate this argument with the thought “now we will definitely separate,” then in many cases that is catastrophic thinking. It’s much more likely that once the emotions have calmed down, you’ll sit down together again, talk it over and put the argument aside. Would you like free psychological support? We’ll send you all the information you need now. Email*
How do I recognize catastrophic thinking? – Some examples
Irrational evaluations are completely normal and human. Everyone has slight distortions in thinking from time to time and our brains make them automatically.
Examples of catastrophic thinking include:
- “I definitely won’t pass the exam, my head will be completely empty.”
- “I will never find a partner and will remain alone forever.”
- “There’s no way I’m going to be able to feel any joy in it, it’s going to be a really terrible experience.”
- “No one will want to talk to me and I will sit alone in the corner all evening.”
- “I’m going to lose control !”
- “Everyone will leave me alone.”
- “If I make a mistake, I’ll be fired!”
- “I will completely embarrass myself if I give this presentation.”
When thinking about catastrophes, you always assume the worst possible outcome of a situation. The thoughts are often exaggerated and, upon closer inspection, rather unrealistic.
What’s the problem with catastrophizing?
Catastrophic thinking can have a negative impact on multiple levels. This can be easily explained using Albert Ellis’ so-called ABC model. If you don’t know this model, no problem, here’s the short version:
A = Triggering event
B = Evaluation
C = (C)Consequence
The model first of all describes that there are events – for example an exam situation. We evaluate every event very subjectively. And depending on how we evaluate this event, this can lead to very different consequences, such as emotions.
The consequences
If we evaluate an event with a positive thought, the consequence is usually more pleasant. Emotions arise that are usually not completely unpleasant and the way we react to them often helps us move forward. If we approach the exam with the thought that “we are well prepared, we will certainly do well and even if not, it is not the end of the world,” then we can go into this exam without too much fear.
If we evaluate a situation with negative thoughts – as we often do when thinking catastrophically – this usually leads to very unpleasant feelings such as fear or inner anger . These feelings often motivate us to take unhelpful actions. This can be, for example, avoidance behavior or arguments. If we approach the exam with the thought that “we’re sure to screw it up like always and therefore lose our place at university,” we’ll probably be very afraid of the exam and maybe even angry with ourselves.
That is exactly the problem with catastrophic thinking. If we repeatedly think in such a negative, distorted way, it can negatively influence our feelings and behavior – causing more „disasters“ than would have occurred without this distortion of thinking. If you go into an exam with such great fear, you will often find it harder to concentrate and may actually achieve a worse result than you would have achieved without the thought of catastrophe.
What are the causes of catastrophic thinking?
As I said, everyone thinks in terms of catastrophe sometimes. Sometimes anticipating adverse scenarios can also help us prepare for them. When I’m afraid of a test, I learn more. On the day of the exam, however, it is not helpful to lose yourself in these thoughts of catastrophe. It is therefore important that we can get ourselves out of this catastrophizing thought loop in order to continue to be able to act. You’ll find out how to do this in a moment.
Some people are more prone to catastrophic thinking than others. There can be various reasons and causes for this. Here we list common connections and causes of catastrophic thinking:
Fears:
If you often suffer from anxiety, perhaps even from an anxiety or panic disorder, then you may often find situations particularly worrying. Catastrophizing is typical of fears and can help maintain them.
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Depressions:
The mindset of people who are in a depressive episode is often characterized by various thought distortions such as catastrophic thinking. Those affected often evaluate situations, their environment and themselves more negatively. This negative way of thinking means that the outcome of various situations, as described in the ABC model, can always be negative, which confirms their pessimistic view of the world again and again.
Stressful life events:
People who have experienced stressful or even traumatic experiences often go through life with a more negative view and, for example, fear further negative events in the future. If someone has been involved in a car accident, they may see the driver’s somewhat “loose” driving style as a passenger in the future as a major risk of another accident. He may be thinking, “If we keep going this fast, we’re going to hit that tree over there.”
Stress:
Even life situations that are perceived as very stressful can cause us to (temporarily) fall into catastrophizing thought patterns. Stress often has a very negative impact on our emotional and mental capacities, making it more difficult for us to assess situations realistically. An example of a catastrophizing thought under stress might be, “If I don’t get this done today, this project will fail.”
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Negative beliefs:
The way we think about ourselves can also encourage catastrophic thinking. For example, if you have been carrying around the negative belief “I am not good enough” for a long time, you may tend to repeatedly evaluate your own abilities very poorly. This can then lead to catastrophic thoughts like, “If I don’t do this right, I’ll get fired.”
How can I stop catastrophic thinking?
Do you notice that you often think in terms of catastrophes and would you like to change something about that? Great, then you’ve come to the right place. We have 4 simple steps for you to change your catastrophic thoughts:
1Recognize
In the first step, it is important that you recognize your catastrophic thoughts and make them concrete. As an example, a thought might be: “I’m going to completely embarrass myself!”
2Finish the thought
Ask yourself: What is the worst that could happen? If you completely embarrass yourself, how will the situation develop? What would happen next? What happens after 10 minutes, after 10 hours and after 10 months?
3Question the idea of catastrophe
You can approach this step in different ways. Either scientific, functional or friendly. Find what’s best for you here.
Scientifically: How many times has this happened? What evidence is there for or against this fear? How likely is it that exactly that will happen? Is something else much more likely?
Functional: Does this thought help me deal with the situation? What is the cost-benefit ratio of this idea?
Friendly: How do I feel about this thought? How would a friend feel in this situation? What would he or she say to me?
4Find a helpful thought
Can you find a thought that is more helpful and feels more realistic? Let’s say your catastrophizing thought was „Peter canceled our meeting, he doesn’t like me, I’ll never find a partner“. A helpful and realistic thought might be: “Peter has a cold and sent me a sweet text to cancel our meeting. He doesn’t want to infect me and will contact me when he is well again to reschedule the meeting.”
Letting go of such catastrophic thinking will not work overnight. You have to train the new way of thinking, just like you train a muscle. But over time, you’ll notice that you notice more often when you’re slipping into catastrophic thoughts. Then you can change it little by little.
What to do if catastrophizing is related to anxiety, panic, or depression?
Do you feel very impaired by your catastrophic thinking or is it associated with mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety and panic ? In these cases, it may be helpful to seek external support. Because sometimes it is not possible for us to get out of these illnesses on our own. Psychotherapy can help you improve your thinking patterns and symptoms.
An online therapy course can also provide quick help for psychological stress. At HelloBetter we offer so-called digital health applications (DiGA), the costs of which are fully covered by the health insurance company. All you need to participate free of charge is a prescription from a doctor or psychotherapist. Take a look at HelloBetter Panik or HelloBetter Stress and Burnout or find out more about HelloBetter on prescription here .
5 may 2019