6 Reasons Behind Catastrophic Thoughts: How To Deal With Them?

The catastrophic thoughts They imply that people assume the worst case scenario and even think that things are much worse than they really are. Both children and adults can have these types of recurring thoughts. But why do they arise and how can we deal with them?

What are catastrophic thoughts?

Catastrophize or have catastrophic thoughts It is when we tend to imagine a scenario with everything that can go wrong. Therefore, if these ideas happen recurrently, we could say that it is a type of cognitive distortion. On many occasions, tending to these types of thoughts can become very overwhelming and can even make it difficult for a person to realize these ideas are affecting them. These types of thoughts tend to end up being in all internal discourses, causing psychological problems in those who tend to have them.

Why does my mind think things I don’t want to think?

He catastrophic thinking It can occur in response to traumatic events in the past that have ended up perpetuating our way of seeing the world. Additionally, these negative experiences can also lead to reinforcing beliefs such as that people should not be trusted. These types of recurring thoughts can be related to different mental health conditions:

1. Anxiety: Research suggests that people who tend to having catastrophic thoughts They are more likely to suffer from an anxiety disorder. In fact, negative thoughts and anxiety are often closely related.
2. Depression: In the same way as with anxiety, studies also show that these types of thoughts can end up causing feelings of hopelessness, which can contribute to the development of a depressive disorder.
3. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): In the face of traumatic experiences, catastrophic thinking It can also end up being a precursor to the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
4. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): It is very common for people with OCD to end up becoming obsessed with the possibility of important harmful events, such as having an illness or being contaminated with pathogens, suffering theft or incursions into the home, or gas disasters, for example. This can lead to experiencing negative or catastrophic thoughts
5. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): The catastrophic thoughts In people with ADHD they can lead to impulsive behavior.
6. Low self-esteem: The recurring negative and catastrophic thoughts They can also be a sign that the person has a poor perception of themselves, especially if these ideas are related to their lack of skills or qualities.
7. Control: The need for control of some people leads them to try to anticipate any eventuality and prepare for it, this leads them to catastrophism and hypervigilance.

These are some of the main causes that They are behind catastrophic thoughts If you feel that these types of ideas are affecting you in your daily life, we recommend that you go to a professional psychologist to treat and confront them.

How to deal with catastrophic thoughts?

In addition to going to therapy, there are some techniques that can help you confront catastrophic thoughts Some of the tips you can apply to help control these negative ideas are the following:

• The possible should not be confused with the probable: A misfortune may occur, but it is very unlikely. Putting ourselves in the worst scenario is not adaptive nor does it help when facing problems because it magnifies them and can lead us to overact.
• Accept that unpleasant things can happen: Life will not always be rosy. In fact, it is always full of challenges, in the same way that there are good days and bad days. That is, having bad experiences or bad days does not mean that everything will be that way.
• Recognize irrational thoughts: He catastrophism He usually has ideas that are not rational, that is, they do not make sense if analyzed carefully. In most cases, these negative thoughts only focus on increasing discomfort without providing us with anything useful in our lives. By recognizing that they are not based on anything logical, people have more tools to handle them.
• Reason with negative thoughts: Instead of trying to eliminate these types of thoughts, the best thing you can do is to dialogue with them. Seeing that many of these ideas have no real foundation, but are based on imaginations, it is very possible that you can deal with them.
• Think of another result: Instead of believing that when faced with an action you will end up experiencing negative results, try to focus on obtaining a more positive option.
• Use positive affirmations: When we are before very catastrophic thoughts, a person must believe that they can overcome their obstacles, whatever they may be. Given this, thinking positive affirmations, that is, words that help us focus on what is most positive about us can help you overcome it.
• Focus on your self-care: It is more likely that catastrophic thought experiences if you are very stressed or feel very anxious. Therefore, focusing on getting enough rest and engaging in stress-relieving techniques, such as exercise, meditation, or journaling, will help you feel much better.
• Sometimes magical thoughts are linked to catastrophism: If I monitor what happens I can control that something horrible does not happen, for example, when in reality there is no relationship between one event and the other. We must detect these magical thoughts and eliminate them so as not to fall into constant worry about catastrophes.

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In many cases, people who suffer from catastrophic thoughts They tend to perceive everything much worse than it really is, which ends up limiting them in many aspects. For this reason, it is important to face them and take control of our mind.