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Why do I always think of worst case scenario?
Catastrophising comes from the belief that by imagining what might go wrong, we’re better able to protect ourselves from harm – both physical and mental. However, this tendency is only helpful if you’re able to correctly predict what will happen in a certain situation and how it will make you feel. Catastrophising comes from the belief that by imagining what might go wrong, we’re better able to protect ourselves from harm – both physical and mental. However, this tendency is only helpful if you’re able to correctly predict what will happen in a certain situation and how it will make you feel. Summary. Catastrophizing is when you think something, someone, or a situation is way worse than what the reality actually is. It’s associated with some mental illnesses like anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Catastrophizing functions as a cognitive distortion that feeds anxiety and depression by overestimating negative outcomes and underestimating coping skills. Consequently, catastrophizers feel anxious and helpless over their perceived inability to manage potential threats. Is catastrophising a mental illness? Catastrophising is not officially categorised as a mental illness, however, it is a symptom of several mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. It is also a symptom that antagonises mental health disorders and conditions such as PTSD and makes them more severe.
Why do I always think the worst is going to happen?
Catastrophising is a tendency to assume the worst will happen when imagining a future situation – even if you have evidence that this is not the most likely outcome. People who like to feel in control (and are therefore intolerant of uncertainty) are more likely to catastrophise. People may learn the habit of catastrophising because they’ve had a bad experience before that they didn’t see coming. To protect themselves in the future, they start imagining the worst possible scenarios in every situation, because they don’t want to be caught off-guard again. Plus, whether you’re fixating on the past or catastrophizing about the future, thought patterns that are more destructive than constructive can take a toll on both your mental health and physical health. Studies show that ruminating on stressful events can, over time, lead to anxiety and depression, warns Dr. Fowler. Catastrophizing (combination of fortune-telling and all-or-nothing thinking; blowing things out of proportion): This spot on my skin is probably skin cancer; I’ll be dead soon. Labeling: I’m just not a healthy person. Disqualifying the positive: I answered that well, but it was a lucky guess.