7 reasons to not catastrophize
A short list
Catastrophizing is the psychological equivalent of a maelstrom in the middle of an ocean – a relentless whirlpool of negative thoughts that can swallow up anything in its path. This negative thought pattern is so strong that once you’re in it’s vortex, it’s hard to break free. It’s for this reason that when you notice catastrophizing’s telltale signs, you must do your best to avoid being pulled under.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts I use to help me steer clear of catastrophizing’s path when I see it on the horizon:
You're almost always wrong! The world is so much more complex than you understand. Almost everything happens without you and by definition, almost everyone is different from you... You think you know the future but you're wrong.
Human systems adapt: We’re not pandas. Humans have agency and we shift in response to our environment. Actions generate re-actions. People change their behavior. Supply is elastic.
It’s easy to imagine the bad, hard to imagine the good: There’s a reason that dystopias are popular - they’re easier to write! The way to imagine bad outcomes is just to destroy things you consider good. However, imagining good outcomes requires seeing things that don’t currently exist - this is hard to do.
Catastrophizing is maladaptive: Going into the vortex makes you sad and depressed - it narrows your field of view and takes away agency. Instead of acting upon the world, it encourages moping. Don’t fall for the Sad Sirens’ lure of negative mood affiliation.
Humans have always been doing crazy shit: why are you choosing one particular bad thing to focus on out of your countless choices? History always has something way bigger and badder and humans persevere. How many of the worries of your grandparents or your great-grandparents do you carry with you today? Whenever I hear “it’s never been crazier” I recall the Vikings, the Khans, WWI, WW2, late 60s, Great Depression and assorted other insane moments in history to ground me.
You made it this far over billions of years evolving from a single-celled organism - chances are good you’ll adapt!
Catastrophizing stops you from being grateful and seeing the beauty right in front of you.
Good things happen. Bad things happen. Catastrophizing, however, is a dangerous trap.
And for when reasons aren’t enough, remember to re-center:
❤️
How to Re-center
An unexpected thing happened while on my writing hiatus this past month: when I stopped writing, I found myself losing my center and forgetting to slow down.
Thank you for such a timely reminder. I have a theory why negative thoughts are stronger and more visible than positive and happy thoughts. I believe it has its roots in the ancient part of our brain that is more sensitive to danger - fight/flight/freeze. Again, thanks for this very timely post.
This headline is just what I needed right now