Stopping the Descending Spiral of Anxiety
Your best friend calls you unexpectedly and tells you “am going to die alone” because they failed to report him on time. At first, you will get surprised and even tell your buddy to stop being ridiculous. For you, you might think that your friend is overly dramatic and unreasonable. But what you don’t know is that your buddy is not magnifying things as you think, but he/she is catastrophizing. Catastrophizing is a phenomenon where someone assumes that the worse will happen to him/her. It often involves believing that you are actually in a horrible situation than you currently are.
About Anxiety
This statement” I am going to die alone” and “because of failing to report on time” may seem unreasonable and unlikely. However, to the person who is catastrophizing believes that the matter at hand is very serious. One thing about catastrophizing is that is makes something small look big. Look at the example below.
- “I failed to report, and that can make me get article 15.”
- “If I get article 15, then that will cause a huge mess in my career.”
- “If my career is destroyed, my spouse will get mad at me, thus pilling more pressure on me.”
- “If I am not able to handle the pressure, I will eventually be kicked out of the military.”
- “If I lose my job, my partner will get fed up and eventually leave me.”
- “If my partner leaves me, the court will grant them the custom of my children, and I will never see them again.”
- “If I lose touch with my children, things will completely fall apart, and I will die alone.”
These thoughts often seem sensible to the victim even though in reality, things will not happen as envisaged.
How to Get out of Catastrophic Thinking and Anxiety
Catastrophic thinking can make your life miserable because you will always think that something terrible is going to happen. The good news is that there are some things that you can do to get out of catastrophic thinking, as discussed below.
1. Write your thoughts down
One of the best ways to break out of catastrophic thinking is by writing down all your thoughts. This will help you battle your negative thoughts. For instance. If you write down something like “I will never get a job because I failed the test” you will be able to battle that negative thought because you will start asking yourself, why?
2. Take a mental break
Taking a positive mental break can help to cool things off. A mental break can help you clear and refresh your mind, thus enabling you to think reasonably. For instance, have you ever been in a situation where you are frustrated that you can find your car keys and you are running late to an important meeting, and then after you cool down, you notice that the keys were sitting on the table right in front of you? That is what will happen if you take a mental break. You will start viewing thing from a different perspective. When you are burdened with negative thoughts, it is not easy to reason. So take a mental break and do something that makes you happy like watching your favorite movie or spending time with friends and family. A positive mental break can help you cool down, allowing you to approach the matter at hand rationally.
3. Focus on your breathing
Controlling your breathing can help you overcome negative thoughts. When you are full of emotions, sit down, relax then take long belly breaths. Taking a deep breath will not only help you to cool down but will also help you practice mindful thinking, which can help you overcome your worst fears.
Final verdict
Catastrophizing is a deadly mental condition that can make your life measurable by causing anxiety. However, as discussed above, there are many things that you can do break out from this mental condition including calming yourself down, taking deep breaths, avoiding being stressed and taking time to rest when you feel tired. Additionally, ensure that you eat right and exercise regularly to get the much-needed energy and mental capability to help you face any challenge that comes your way with a positive mind.
