How to Recognize Catastrophic Thoughts
Become a casual observer of your thoughts., Try to find recurring patterns., Pay attention to the connection your thoughts have with your feelings and actions., Find the root of catastrophizing., Distinguish between the irrational and rational.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Become a casual observer of your thoughts.
The most effective way to recognize catastrophic thoughts is by tuning into the non-stop script running through your head.
Simply bringing awareness to the thoughts you have can be a powerful tool to improve them.
At this stage, you don’t need to take any action—just pay more attention to your thoughts.
What kinds of things are you telling yourself?Some examples of common thoughts include "I can't do this.
I'm not good enough," or "I never do anything right," or "I'm too fat.
No one will ever love me." -
Step 2: Try to find recurring patterns.
Do you find yourself thinking similarly at the same time each day, or before a certain task or activity? The time of day, task, or activity could be a stimuli or trigger for negative thought patterns.
For example, maybe each day as you drive home from work you find yourself thinking “I’ll never get any time to relax.
The kids will keep me going until bedtime.” Or, perhaps, before you go to the gym, you think “I bet everyone will be so embarrassed for me.
I’m so out of shape.”, If you ever want to improve a behavior, you have to start with your thought patterns.
Catastrophic thinking can prompt you to act irrationally, feel anxious, or even be self-defeating.
If you are engaging in destructive behaviors, it’s time for you to pinpoint how your thoughts are influencing your actions.
Write in a journal daily, or keep a daily mood log, that helps facilitate paying attention to your mood and what influences and/or triggers it, such as irrational and/or catastrophic thinking.
You can write this information down, find a mood log app for your phone, or use a mood log website to help you do this.
This will help you become more aware of the connections between what you were thinking, how you felt, and how you behaved as a result.
For instance, you might take the above thought pattern “I bet everyone will be so embarrassed for me.
I’m so out of shape.” Those thoughts might make you feel ashamed.
As a result, you find yourself making excuses not to go to the gym., After you have become an observer of your thoughts for a while, you need to start searching for the underlying cause of these thoughts.
This can be tough to do, but give it your best shot.
Look at the trigger of catastrophic thoughts then try to examine what these thoughts are suggesting.
For example, you say “I’ll never get any time to relax.
The kids will keep me going until bedtime” before you pull up at home.
The root cause might be chronic stress from your parenting responsibilities.
You feel like you are not in control, so your thoughts tend to take a negative route., In some cases, thinking in a worse-case scenario pattern may be helpful for getting you out of trouble or preventing negative consequences.
It's important to be able to recognize when your catastrophic thoughts are unlikely and illogical and when they deserve consideration.Your thoughts are irrational when the outcome is highly unlikely given the context.
For example, you go to the doctor for a mild fever and assume you will be diagnosed with cancer.
Your assumption is largely exaggerated.
However, if you are sick, then a rational thought might be something like, “I might have the flu, or an infection, which needs to be treated.” -
Step 3: Pay attention to the connection your thoughts have with your feelings and actions.
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Step 4: Find the root of catastrophizing.
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Step 5: Distinguish between the irrational and rational.
Detailed Guide
The most effective way to recognize catastrophic thoughts is by tuning into the non-stop script running through your head.
Simply bringing awareness to the thoughts you have can be a powerful tool to improve them.
At this stage, you don’t need to take any action—just pay more attention to your thoughts.
What kinds of things are you telling yourself?Some examples of common thoughts include "I can't do this.
I'm not good enough," or "I never do anything right," or "I'm too fat.
No one will ever love me."
Do you find yourself thinking similarly at the same time each day, or before a certain task or activity? The time of day, task, or activity could be a stimuli or trigger for negative thought patterns.
For example, maybe each day as you drive home from work you find yourself thinking “I’ll never get any time to relax.
The kids will keep me going until bedtime.” Or, perhaps, before you go to the gym, you think “I bet everyone will be so embarrassed for me.
I’m so out of shape.”, If you ever want to improve a behavior, you have to start with your thought patterns.
Catastrophic thinking can prompt you to act irrationally, feel anxious, or even be self-defeating.
If you are engaging in destructive behaviors, it’s time for you to pinpoint how your thoughts are influencing your actions.
Write in a journal daily, or keep a daily mood log, that helps facilitate paying attention to your mood and what influences and/or triggers it, such as irrational and/or catastrophic thinking.
You can write this information down, find a mood log app for your phone, or use a mood log website to help you do this.
This will help you become more aware of the connections between what you were thinking, how you felt, and how you behaved as a result.
For instance, you might take the above thought pattern “I bet everyone will be so embarrassed for me.
I’m so out of shape.” Those thoughts might make you feel ashamed.
As a result, you find yourself making excuses not to go to the gym., After you have become an observer of your thoughts for a while, you need to start searching for the underlying cause of these thoughts.
This can be tough to do, but give it your best shot.
Look at the trigger of catastrophic thoughts then try to examine what these thoughts are suggesting.
For example, you say “I’ll never get any time to relax.
The kids will keep me going until bedtime” before you pull up at home.
The root cause might be chronic stress from your parenting responsibilities.
You feel like you are not in control, so your thoughts tend to take a negative route., In some cases, thinking in a worse-case scenario pattern may be helpful for getting you out of trouble or preventing negative consequences.
It's important to be able to recognize when your catastrophic thoughts are unlikely and illogical and when they deserve consideration.Your thoughts are irrational when the outcome is highly unlikely given the context.
For example, you go to the doctor for a mild fever and assume you will be diagnosed with cancer.
Your assumption is largely exaggerated.
However, if you are sick, then a rational thought might be something like, “I might have the flu, or an infection, which needs to be treated.”
About the Author
Doris Allen
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow practical skills tutorials.
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