Have you ever noticed your mind jumping straight to the worst possible outcome? A missed call becomes a sign that something is wrong. A small mistake at work turns into a fear that you’ll lose your job. A change in someone’s tone makes you wonder whether they’re angry with you.
This kind of thinking is often called catastrophising. It involves imagining the worst-case scenario and treating it as though it is likely to happen, even when there is little evidence that it will.
Everyone catastrophises from time to time. But when worst-case thinking becomes a regular pattern, it can increase anxiety, make everyday situations feel overwhelming and affect your relationships, work and wellbeing. The good news is that catastrophising is a pattern of thinking that you can learn to recognise and challenge.
What is catastrophising?
Catastrophising is a type of unhelpful thinking where you automatically focus on the most negative possible outcome. For example: “I made a mistake in that meeting. My manager will think I’m incompetent, I’ll lose my job and I won’t be able to find another one”.
The original event – making a mistake – may be relatively small. But your thoughts quickly build into a much larger and more frightening scenario. Catastrophising can involve:
– Expecting something bad to happen
– Assuming the worst possible outcome is inevitable
– Overestimating how likely a negative event is
– Underestimating your ability to cope if something does go wrong
– Replaying situations and imagining everything that could have gone differently
– Turning one difficult event into predictions about the future
It can happen around almost anything, from relationships and work to health, money and family life.
Why do we catastrophise?
Catastrophising is often connected to anxiety and uncertainty. When something feels uncertain, your mind may try to prepare you for every possible outcome. Imagining what could go wrong can feel like a way of protecting yourself.
You might think, “If I prepare for the worst, I won’t be caught off guard”. But repeatedly focusing on the worst-case scenario can actually make you feel more anxious and less able to deal with the situation in front of you.
Sometimes catastrophising can also develop from previous experiences. If something has gone wrong unexpectedly in the past, you may become more alert to the possibility of it happening again. The important thing is that having a catastrophic thought doesn’t mean the thought is true.
What does catastrophising look like?
Catastrophising can be quite obvious, but sometimes it happens so quickly that you don’t realise you’re doing it. You might notice thoughts such as:
“What if something terrible happens?”
“I just know this is going to go wrong”.
“If this doesn’t work out, everything will fall apart”.
“They haven’t replied, so they must be angry with me”.
“I’ve made a mistake, so everyone will think I’m useless”.
“If I fail this, I’ll never get another opportunity”.
“I won’t be able to cope if this happens”.
You may also notice yourself repeatedly seeking reassurance, checking things, avoiding situations or mentally running through possible problems.
How to stop catastrophising
You don’t necessarily need to stop negative thoughts from appearing. Trying to force yourself not to think about something can sometimes make the thought more persistent. Instead, the aim is to notice catastrophic thinking and respond to it differently.
Notice when you’re catastrophising
The first step is recognising the pattern. When you notice yourself worrying about what might happen, pause and ask, “am I thinking about what is happening, or what I’m afraid might happen?” This small distinction can help separate the facts of a situation from the story your mind is creating around them.
For example, the fact is, “My friend hasn’t replied to my message”, but the catastrophic thought becomes, “they’re upset with me and our friendship is going to end”. The first is something you know. The second is an interpretation.
Ask yourself, “What evidence do I have?”
When you’re anxious, a thought can feel like a fact. Try stepping back and looking at the evidence. Ask yourself:
- What actually happened?
- What am I assuming?
- Is there another possible explanation?
- Have I experienced this situation before?
- What evidence suggests that my feared outcome will happen?
- What evidence suggests that it might not?
You don’t have to convince yourself that everything will be fine. You’re simply creating space for other possibilities.
Consider the most likely outcome
Catastrophising tends to focus on the worst outcome. Instead, consider three possibilities: What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the best that could happen? What’s the most likely outcome? The most likely outcome is often somewhere between the extremes.
For example, if you’ve made a mistake at work, the worst-case scenario might be losing your job. But a more realistic outcome could simply be receiving some feedback, correcting the mistake and moving on.
Ask yourself how you would cope
Sometimes the fear isn’t only about what might happen. It’s about believing you wouldn’t be able to handle it. Try asking, “If the thing I’m worried about did happen, what would I do?”
You could think about who you could ask for support, practical steps you could take, what you’ve dealt with successfully before, or what you would tell a friend in the same situation.
You don’t need to know exactly how you’d handle every possible problem. Reminding yourself that you could take things one step at a time can make uncertainty feel more manageable.
Bring yourself back to the present
Catastrophising often takes you into an imagined future. You might spend hours thinking about something that hasn’t happened and may never happen. When you notice this happening, bring your attention back to what’s actually happening right now.
You could take a few slow breaths, notice what you can see and hear around you, or focus on the task immediately in front of you. The aim isn’t to ignore the problem. It’s to stop your mind from solving a future problem before you know whether there is one to solve.
Be careful with “what if?”
“What if?” can be a useful question when you’re making plans. But when anxiety takes over, it can become an endless loop of what if this happens, and then what if that happens, and what if it gets even worse?
When you notice this happening, try asking, “Is there something I need to do about this right now?” If there is, decide on one practical action. If there isn’t, you may be able to let the thought sit without continuing to follow it.
Talk to yourself with more compassion
Catastrophising can be accompanied by harsh self-talk, such as “I should have known better”, “why do I always do this?”, or “I can’t cope with anything”.
Try responding to yourself as you would to someone you care about. You might say: “I’m worried because this matters to me. But being worried doesn’t mean something bad is going to happen”.
Being compassionate towards yourself doesn’t mean ignoring problems. It means approaching them without making the situation more frightening than it needs to be.
When catastrophising becomes difficult to manage
Occasional worst-case thinking is part of being human. But if you regularly find yourself overwhelmed by worry, unable to switch off your thoughts or avoiding everyday situations because you’re afraid of what might happen, it may be worth talking to someone.
Therapy can provide a space to explore where these thought patterns come from and develop different ways of responding to them. You don’t have to wait until your worries become unbearable before asking for support.
Can therapy help with catastrophising?
Yes. Therapy can help you understand the thoughts and patterns behind catastrophising and explore ways to respond to them differently. Approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be particularly useful for identifying unhelpful thought patterns and examining whether your thoughts accurately reflect the situation.
Therapy can also provide an opportunity to explore the underlying reasons you may be experiencing persistent anxiety, uncertainty or fear. At Re…root, our therapists work with people experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, providing a confidential space to explore what you’re going through.
You don’t have to believe every thought your mind produces. Learning to pause, question it and consider another perspective can be an important first step.