Episode 12: Cycle Breaker and Change Maker | Introduction to Catastrophizing
Description:
Episode 12 - Introduction to Catastrophizing
In today's episode I will be discussing catastrophizing. If you have ever found yourself jumping to the worst case scenario and predicting and preparing for the most awful outcomes all the time you could be experiencing catastrophizing as a result of trauma. The interesting thing that most people don’t know about catastrophizing is that it is a method of trying to gain control over outcomes, control of course helps us feel safe so while catastrophizing can be an unhelpful response it is no wonder it makes us feel so good in the moment we are experiencing it.
I will never forget the day a dear friend said “did you know it's not normal to be afraid of getting into a car crash every time you drive?” - I remember saying, no, I thought everyone did that.
I truly was shocked to find out that preparing for the worst outcomes was not a standard or even healthy way of living because I had become so used to living in a way that I thought was preparing me for anything that was to come. The thing is though, while there are many things that are in your control such as what you select to wear and the clothing you purchase - many life events are not in your control. The sooner you focus your energy on what you can control vs what you can’t, the more productive and truly in control you will be.
So what exactly is catastrophizing?
I will be focusing on catastrophizing as a trauma response, however, I would like to point out that other events such as a life-threatening illness, sudden job loss, chronic fatigue, chronic pain and anxiety disorders can also lead to this type of thinking. Regardless of why this type of thinking may occur for you, the information in this episode will still be helpful to hear. Predicting the worst case scenario can be a coping mechanism of protection - preparing for the worst may make someone feel that they can avoid disappointment and hurt.
Here is an example of of catastrophic thinking: I can’t fall asleep, I have a big presentation at work tomorrow, now I am not going to get any sleep and the presentation is going to be terrible, I am going to disappoint my manager and my team and I am going to lose my job and I am never going to be able to find a good job again
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Renata
Transcript:
Episode 12 - Introduction to Catastrophizing
In today's episode I will be discussing catastrophizing. If you have ever found yourself jumping to the worst case scenario and predicting and preparing for the most awful outcomes all the time you could be experiencing catastrophizing as a result of trauma. The interesting thing that most people don’t know about catastrophizing is that it is a method of trying to gain control over outcomes, control of course helps us feel safe so while catastrophizing can be an unhelpful response it is no wonder it makes us feel so good in the moment we are experiencing it.
I will never forget the day a dear friend said “did you know it's not normal to be afraid of getting into a car crash every time you drive?” - I remember saying, no, I thought everyone did that.
I truly was shocked to find out that preparing for the worst outcomes was not a standard or even healthy way of living because I had become so used to living in a way that I thought was preparing me for anything that was to come. The thing is though, while there are many things that are in your control such as what you select to wear and the clothing you purchase - many life events are not in your control. The sooner you focus your energy on what you can control vs what you can’t, the more productive and truly in control you will be.
So what exactly is catastrophizing?
I will be focusing on catastrophizing as a trauma response, however, I would like to point out that other events such as a life-threatening illness, sudden job loss, chronic fatigue, chronic pain and anxiety disorders can also lead to this type of thinking. Regardless of why this type of thinking may occur for you, the information in this episode will still be helpful to hear. Predicting the worst case scenario can be a coping mechanism of protection - preparing for the worst may make someone feel that they can avoid disappointment and hurt.
"Here is an example of of catastrophic thinking: I can’t fall asleep, I have a big presentation at work tomorrow, now I am not going to get any sleep and the presentation is going to be terrible, I am going to disappoint my manager and my team and I am going to lose my job and I am never going to be able to find a good job again."
Why does catastrophizing happen?
Catastrophizing can happen after a traumatic event, and it can happen so often that it becomes a normal way of thinking. It can lead to a mental state that is always anxious and overwhelmed which in turn leads to a continued doom and gloom style of thinking.
If you have experienced trauma it makes sense that your response could evolve into changing your view of the world - you may view the world as a bad place, you may be untrusting of others and not take chances that could lead to you getting hurt.
After a person goes through a traumatic event their primitive brain that is working hard to keep them safe is going to be on high alert for anything that looks like it could cause the trauma to repeat and this will initiate a chain of thinking to avoid the hurt.
My story and how catastrophizing has impacted me as an adult:
For as long as I can remember, I have felt the urgency to run away from danger. I have these memories going back to infancy. Do I have an incredible memory? Maybe, people often say they don’t have memories that go back as far as mine do. I don’t look at it as having an incredible memory though. To me, traumatic events happened so early in my life that the impressions were made and the feelings of fear were imprinted before I had even developed any critical thinking skills. Because of these early experiences and imprints I developed an extremely strong survival response, part of which has materialized as early memories.
For years I was unknowingly catastrophizing, I automatically thought the worst was going to happen so I might as well be prepared for it. I was experiencing this as a child so when I got my brain tumor / tumour at the age of 18 you can imagine where my mind went. I wrote a Will before my surgery, I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive and if I did, I thought I would not remember anyone.
Even though the opposite was true I came out very much alive and remembered everyone. It did not change my pattern of thinking. The main issue was I did not know it was an unhelpful way of thinking. It had to be pointed out to me by someone who shared the same way of thinking and had learned it was not standard. Catastrophizing all the time is exhausting, it takes up a great deal of mental space that can be used elsewhere in more fruitful ways.
What have I done to break the cycle of trauma that has led to catastrophizing for me?
As soon as I began to understand my way of thinking I was relieved, I had missed looking into this because I thought this way of thinking was the way everyone existed. When I learned that was not the case, I saw that there was hope, this was actually a way of thinking that could be changed and, what was most helpful to me is that there was a rational reason behind the way my mind was operating.
Step 1:
Acknowledging that part of the experience of being human is that life events and challenges happen to us, we simply cannot control everything. It sounds logical, and maybe even simplistic, but this concept really does need to be understood in order to make progress.
Step 2:
Start to pay attention to your thought patterns and notice if you may be catastrophizing. Write your thoughts down and ask yourself - are these all really realistic outcomes? Is the worst case scenario really as bad as I think it is? When I have been in this type of situation before did the worst case scenario actually happen?
Step 3:
Practicing halting this thought pattern. This is going to be hard at first and you may need to try more than one method. I literally had to yell - STOP, NO, BE QUIET, to my thoughts - if I could I would say it outloud. Picture a train running extremely fast looking like it's going to barrel through a stop sign - how would you stop it? You would slam on the breaks, so you are going to do the same thing here, slam on the breaks of your mind. If talking to yourself doesn’t work, move, go to another room, splash cold water on your face - do what works for you to stop that train.
My experience - how implementing these steps led to a positive outcome:
I remember one of the times in my life that was really tough. I was in the thick of postpartum depression that was related to my childhood trauma, I was running a company and I had to get one of my abusers help in order to protect them, others and myself. There was so much going on but I experienced this moment of peace and calm - it was fleeting because shortly after it a worried thought came into my mind but I said to my doctor - what was that! It was so foreign to me that I had to ask what it was. That doctor replied that I could actually live that way, with peace and calm and that moment is what started me on the journey of truly healing myself. This is why I want to help anyone listening, you don’t have to live in a state of fear all the time and I have sorted through and tried hundreds of solutions and methods so that you don’t have to. Believe me if I can experience a state of peace and calm after what I have been through - you can too.