Catastrophizing – Always Assume the Worst? Why You Need to Stop
Dr. Sheri Jacobson
March 6, 2023
By: State Farm
by Andrea M. Darcy
Known to immediately assume the worse? You likely have a problem with catastrophizing.
What is catastrophizing?
Catastrophizing (or ‘catastrophising’ if you are using the British spelling) is what is known in psychology as a ‘cognitive distortion‘. This means a habitual and unconscious way of thinking that is not realistic. In this case it’s a habit of negative exaggeration.
Always assuming the worse case scenario, you will likely also turn little problems into big ones. This means you anticipate issues so much that you actually create them.
Examples of catastrophising
Examples of catastrophizing can mean that you:
- receive bad feedback at work and are convinced your career is over
- fail an exam and are sure you have no future
- decide when your partner criticises what you are wearing that the next step is a breakup
- panic when your child has an earache and rush them to the hospital.
Why do you do it?
Negative thinking can be a learned habit. If you grew up with a parent who constantly expected the worse from every situation, you might have just assumed this was the way to see the world.
Catastrophizing can also be connected to a difficult past. If something happened that made you feel the world is dangerous, then your brain can be programmed to keep looking for danger.
It is connected to anxiety and anxiety disorders. Of course then it becomes a question of which came first. Anxiety causes vigilance, but catastrophising causes anxiety.
When it comes to past trauma and anxiety, catastrophizing can be something you unconsciously use to actually try and make yourself feel better. If you assume the worse, you’ll feel less threatened if something bad really does happen, right? Of course assuming the worse all the time means you simply can’t live a happy, balanced life.
Catastrophizing and personality disorders
In some cases a problem with catastrophising all the time is a sign you have a personality disorder. This means you behave and think in ways that are different than the norm.
Borderline personality disorder, for example, sees you having a strong fear of abandonment that makes you always assume the worse about others.
Histrionic personality disorder involves a driving need to be the centre of attention, and exaggerated stories are one of the ways you’ll achieve that.
[Curious to know more about personality disorders? Read our comprehensive Guide to Personality Disorders.]
Why do you need to stop catastrophising?
By: jmawork
You could argue that catastrophizing, like everything, has a useful side. It means you are never disappointed when bad things do happen.
But it comes with too many negative consequences to make it worthwhile. These include:
- never reaching goals
- constantly feeling like a failure or that you are ‘stuck’ in life
- wasting time and money trying to deal with so called ’emergencies’
- relationship troubles when you upset or over-rely on those around you
- low self-esteem
- cycles of low moods or even depression
- insomnia
- anxiety and anxiety disorders.
Catastrophic thinking can actually be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think negative thoughts, you spike your stress hormones such as cortisol, which affect your ability to think and act clearly. This means it’s more likely things will go wrong.
So just how do I stop catastrophizing?
Here are a few ways you can begin to work at changing this distorted way of thinking that sees you unable to feel good about yourself and life.
1. Learn how to differentiate a thought and reality.
Try writing down your thoughts for a few weeks. It can help to set a timer to go off each hour so you can catch yourself thinking. At the end of each day look at what you have recorded.
- How realistic is each thought?
- Is it a fact?
- What proof do you have this thought is true, and what proof do you have it isn’t?
- Can you find a situation from the past which shows that this sort of situation can work out just fine – for example, a time at work you made a big mistake but it didn’t affect your career?
By: Dun.can
2. Try mindfulness if you start catastrophizing.
If you find it impossible to catch your thoughts in the first place, mindfulness can be a game changer. A daily practise that sees you bringing your attention to your thoughts and feelings right here and now, it also lowers your stress levels. You can learn all you need to know in our comprehensive Guide to Mindfulness.
3. Feel it out.
Catastrophising can be the mind’s way of hiding from painful emotions. Ask yourself, what is the feeling behind this thought I am having? Am I feeling nervous, rejected, sad? Can I deal with the feeling first?
4. Talk to the page before your friends.
Before you call all your friends and rant about your latest horrible situation, take a moment to pour your thoughts out in a journal. This can de-charge your emotions and help you see more clearly, whereas immediately over-talking can leave you more worried than ever.
5. Consider a round of therapy.
It’s very hard to stop habits by ourselves and sometimes seeking support is the best step we can take. A professional counsellor or psychotherapist can also let you know if your habit of catastrophising is related to other psychological issues that might also need to be dealt with.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in particular focuses on helping you recognise and take charge of your negative thinking. If you work with a CBT therapist they will provide you with charts where you can track your thoughts, learning to question each one and replace it with a more balanced and realistic view.
Harley Therapy puts you in touch with some of London’s best counsellors and psychotherapists. Not in the UK? We can also connect you with a therapist wherever you are with Online therapy.
Still have a question about catastrophizing? Ask below, we love to hear from you.
Andrea M. Darcy is the editor and lead writer of this site and a mental health advocate with training in counselling and coaching.
Hello,
I think I may have catastrophizing about this situation that I had taken nude pictures of mine which I have taken just for watching and deleted it after few minutes. Everything was alright ,some day I listened my friends saying about revenge porn,hacking etc So I thought my pics might be uploaded online.I don’t have even a single proof for it and none of my friends,relatives spoke about that to me still I feel that my nude pics are online. I know no one can hack my mobile still I feel depressed.Is it catrotrophizing related or something else.Can I be cured by proving that my phone was not hacked?
That sounds like anxiety. Are these patterns of negative thinking and catastrophising a pattern with you? If it wasn’t this, would it be something else? As we suspect even if you do find out your phone is hacked you’ll find something else to be anxious about. Just to say that a great therapy here to help with this is CBT – cognitive behavioural therapy. It’s short term, you don’t have to talk much about your past, and it focuses on helping you stop the severely negative thinking.
I have this problem and it’s overwhelming my head with unwanted thoughts all the time
My anxiety is high. I had to go to the emergency room because I get really anxious. I don’t want to live like this anymore.
I’ve call a counselor to help me I want to live a normal life.
Hi Elaine, wonderful you’ve reached out for help! Yes, thoughts can be really powerful – if we let them. Always remember that you are not your thoughts, nor are thoughts always true. We’d highly suggest cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) here – it’s focus is on helping you move from extreme thoughts to balanced ones, and you don’t even need to talk about your past. In most cases it only takes a few months to see real results. Good luck!
I have a habit of thinking that something will happen to my family. Like I’d loose them any second. If my parents are out and have been late, I’ll start thinking that they might have been in an accident and now I’d never seem them again. I’d be left all alone. What problem is this?
Hi there, sounds like anxiety. But we can’t tell you over a comment box without getting to know you. We would say it’s worth going to have a chat with a counsellor about this.
With my partner when we are arguing or something I always have thoughts that’s he did the worst,or even think in my head that terrible scenes.. He always says I imagine things or even think ahead 3 times more terrible then it was .. I put a lot of weight on,sometimes I wish I can turni off my thoughts .
Hi T, sounds like you have anxiety perhaps? Take a look at CBT therapy. It’s short term, you don’t even need to talk about your past, but it’s great for anxiety and overthinking.
Hi i have a problem that i have just broke up with my boy friend and thoughts always coming into my head about my boyfriend in every single moment eventhough i am not sad about what has happened.I tried to control my thoughts too but except sleeping time thoughts always come into my head which makes me crazy.What can i do to stop it???
Hi N, does this often happen to you post breakup? It’s a sign of relationship addiction, and follows an unhealthy relationship. Usually it relates to the incorrect beliefs you formed as a child about what love is. Use our search bar to find our articles on love addiction, anxious attachment, codependency and unhealthy relationships. This sort of addictive behaviour can’t just be stopped overnight, you need to look at what is behind it, what core beliefs, unresolved childhood experiences, low self-esteem, and ways of approaching relationships that are leading to it. As for a therapy that helps break the thought cycle, CBT therapy is fantastic for that, it focuses just on helping you gain control of negative thinking. Good luck.
Hi, I always assume that people think I am ugly and that they pity me. Every time i go out and meet someone, that’s the first thought i get. It makes me feel miserable, it has impede a lot of things i do. Sometimes i shiver when someone get close to me and when i am doing something and someone comes there, immediately i lose control and everything falls apart. I don’t know if its catastrophizing or something else. I’m really losing control over myself. Please what can i do to make it stop?
Hi AD, no, we wouldn’t say that was catastrophising, we’d say that is very low self-esteem. It would likely stem from difficult childhood experiences that remain unprocessed and have led to very negative core beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. You can’t just ‘make this stop’ overnight. It took you a lifetime to get here, it will take effort to change. It requires a commitment to dealing with your past and taking a path of healing and really wanting to learn to feel better about yourself. You could start with self help, learning about self compassion, for example, http://bit.ly/selfcompassionlearn and learning mindfulness http://bit.ly/mindfulnessallabout. Ideally, with this level of low self-esteem and negative self talk, you’d want to work with a counsellor. If you are on a low budget, read our article on how to find low cost counselling here http://bit.ly/lowcosttherapy. We wish you courage.
I am constantly having anxiety from the ping ponging thoughts in my head that just get wilder and wilder what I think about the people around me and what they’re doing. They’re not doing anything to me but I can’t help but assume it’s the worst every time. I’ve had a lot of Trumatic brain injury‘s and I am always decidedly pessimistic and negative about what’s going to happen. My brain just boils over thinking of how someone has potentially wronged me or that my latest diagnosis is the end of the world.
Hi Cody. Did you already have frustration and anxiety before the head traumas? Did you talk to a neurologist or your doctor about the possibility that your head traumas have created mood shifts? This can be a side effect of, for example, concussion. Otherwise, do your thoughts get more and more illogical the more you overthink? If so could be anxiety disorder. In both cases worth talking to a GP.
Hi there
I think.my stepfather has this problem. My mom married him without us knowing him well and now that we are trying to get to know him bc he moved to our country he is constantly offending friends and family by making comments about people that arent true, making off colored jokes and insulting people she cares about then justifying his bad behaviour saying its bc he is american and we are canadian and dont get his sense of humor. He constantly tries to belittle me n my husband, and throw any thing they have ever done for us in our face. He seems to think we owe him and whatever we do is never enough. This past yr, i heard him spreading humors to his brother on the phone referring to my husband and i as “those little bastards” who have even smoked in the house (when we never have), and accused us of using him and not caring for my mothers health. He also went on to say my mom was using him. She says she doesnt even know who he is anymore. He makes up stories and is certain he is right. Its got so bad, when we come to visit he will tell us to move our car over 2ft, and we will.. And he will come back out saying we havent and then text message us off the hook for days saying we didnt. This happens every time we pull in the driveway to visit, so now we have even taken pictures and he still will not believe he is wrong. My mother doesnt know what to do with him. It has got to the point we cannot even talk to him, bc he creates these false assumptions and is now name calling us. We just want to spent time with my mom now that she is back. He is ruining their marriage and our relationship bc of his false sense of reality. Now he is actually spreading these lies, these presumptions hes conjured up, these stories he is convinced are true, to ruin our name. He is now calling us abusive names and using escape goat, gaslighting manipulation tactics to try to make my mom feel crazy. I even showed her pictures proving our innocents and text messages of him harassing us.
I feel he is a narcissist who tries to manipulate and has an overly grandiose view of himself that he is never wrong even when he is, and is trying to ruin my moms relationship to iscolate her. He is doing this by catastropizing things and acting out on them now. My mom has asked him to stop texting us bc he is wrong and is harassing us, and he simply wont. My moms health is not well, and she was almost put in a diabetic coma when he created an issue he thought was real when it wasnt and went off texting us again etc. She apologizes for him but she herself doesnt know who he is anymore. He will not drop anything or even bite his tongue for the sake of my moms health.he has even said “he has to be heard” all bc of the things he assumes and conjures up he is determined are real and wont sleep until he addresses whatever these issues are.
I think he has this catastropizing problem as well as being a narcisist. He tells her she doesnt have to work, yet was so certain my husband and i did something around xmas he forbid my mom to even give us a gift. i told them we dont want or need a gift, its the principle, what he is doing isnt right. He is abusing her now financially appears.
His father from what i know was a very controlling angry man who only ever yelled at the kids and felt he was above all. My step fathers own kids stopped talking to him for yearz and my mom had to rekindle those relationships, just for him to put a restraining order on his own son. i think he is trying to do that to us. He got so drunk and delusional last time we saw him he became overly argumentative and, I threatened to call the police bc my husband me and my mom did not feel safe. She stayed with us and I told my mom he is a narcissist and incapable of love and that he assumes these things he creates as factual and acts out on them and bc he will not accept any ownership of wrongdoing, there is nothing she can do bc he wont stop..Any advise when it comes to a narcissist who has this catastropizing way of thinking? I think its becoming dangerous. He keeps threatening they will divorce bc of me…mean while he is the one creating these problems that are hurting their relationship.
Hi there Francesca, nothing you are talking about seems to point to catastrophising, which is a pattern of thinking where we see the worst. To be honest you yourself to be the one catastrophising here, assuming the very worst of him and the situation. It undoubtedly sounds a very difficult situation. But it also sounds like there are all kinds of dysfunction here that didn’t begin with just this man showing up. The biggest thing here is that your mother is an adult. Her choices, no matter how difficult, are her own. If she wants to be with that man, it’s up to her. You can express your concern, but it’s her choice. And you as an adult get to make your own choices. You can’t control your mother, or this man. You can only control your own life and yourself. So you’ll have to decide what boundaries you are going to set, set them in a healthy clear way, and stand by them. Finally, we don’t see evidence of a narcissist in what you are saying. Narcissism is overused on the internet, and only really pertains to a very small part of the population. He sounds like a man who likes control and drinks too much, yes. And is angry, perhaps as he feels cornered by the situation. But it sounds like the two of you have a power battle going on between you. And note that you’ve taken the time to write this really big comment, and are very angry yourself, and also want control. So in summary, it’s a lot of dysfunction, a lot of power battles and anger, with both of you putting your mother in the middle, which must be very difficult for her.
I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety since I was 16. Alot of bad things happened through out my whole childhood had medicine I was taking and had counseling. Grew up around alot of infidelity, ended up pregnant at 19 and ended up marrying someone who had infidelity dealt with it for 20 years cause of our children now divorced we are both in a new relationship. I’m constantly thinking they are doing the same thing the ex did .I have major trust issues what can I do to overcome this and think differently.
How do I broach this subject with someone who has catastrophic thinking?My friend is like this, thats how i found this page, googling somone who thinks the ‘worst case scenario’ for every event.
She takes any slight to heart and doesn’t forgive. She makes her life so much harder by either not dealing with something because she assumes the worst. Until she makes the worst happen by not dealing with it when it arizes, in a calm or methodical way. Like, not getting her car seen to because she couldn’t afford to, because she knew it was going to be major. So she Kept driving and ignoring until it died. Then found out that the initial problem was inexpensive and a simple fix. But by ignoring it, it was now the expensive major problem she initially thought.
Not even a one off, it’s a weekly, often daily occurrence.
I find it emotionally draining to be with her or listening to her rants. She shuts her ears to everyone else. She loses work over her reactions to perceived slights. And by never just owning a mistake.
So how on earth do I suggest her getting help when it will be taken so badly it will probably end the friendship?
Years before I met her, I was served by her at a supermarket. I have a hearing problem and if I’m not facing or looking at someone when they’re talking, I don’t know they are talking to me. Well apparently while she was serving me she said hello and I ignored her. Something she took to heart and couldn’t forgive me for. Until we met several years later and she found out I had a hearing problem. That’s when she related this story and how she could forgive me now she knew about my hearing loss.
I’ve thought of forwarding this article to her. Hoping for advice on a gentler way of breaching the subject.
Regards
Mel
Hi Kimberly, sounds tough. Was the counselling useful? Did you work on trust issues with your counselling? Not sure what you mean ‘they are doing the same thing ex did’. You mean your new partner? If so we’d say that trust issues are deep, and would be good idea to try counselling again, with someone you feel you can grow to trust. Or to try couples therapy with your partner, that’s another option.
Hi Mel. So here’s the thing. We feel this comment is less about her and more about you. What we mean by this is that it’s clear you are frustrated and unhappy and don’t even feel treated well by this woman or respect the way she is. Enough so that you are googling her flaws. What is keeping you in this friendship? As it’s actually not your job to fix someone (you might want to read about codependency here http://bit.ly/codependentall). If we don’t like someone to the point we want to fix them, then why are we hanging around them? Do you realise that is not really healthy? All that energy would be better used finding friends you can be yourself around without being judged and who you actually like to be around. Or working at raising your self-esteem to the point you think you actually deserve friends. Something to think about. If this is a pattern for you, if you always spend time with people you deep down don’t even like as you feel that’s all you deserve, there might be a pattern here you learned growing up it would be worth working on with a counsellor if you had the courage. Best, HT.
Hi,
I’m always thinking negative things will happened to me evey now and then. Even a small issue for me it will be big. I’m always nervous, as in every minute. Im always thinking a head if something might happned if i do a certain thing. Ending i’m afraid of meeting people and talking to them. i also fear of talking in front of people.
Hi Lucas, sounds like you might be suffering from anxiety. We’d recommend talking to your GP if you are comfortable with that, otherwise going to see a counsellor about this. Best, HT
Hi. I have a problem I think That worse out of my family members. Whatever comes in my mind I have to take it out without thinking it might actually hurt someone’s feeling. Once it’s said. I feel relax but sad and regret it after. I need help. I’m losing more friends and family members. No one wants to talk to me
Hi W. It’s hard to be our best self around our family members. We have longstanding histories that lead to patterns of relating that can be hard to break. that said, if this is also happening with friends, and it’s sabotaging important things, then it really does sound like you could use support. A counsellor or therapist could absolutely help with this, they’d help you look at what goes wrong, how to gain control of your emotions, and how to relate in useful ways. Best, HT
Hi Harley,
I am depressed and suicidal. I need help
Hi Tinu, here is a list of free helplines you can call in the UK http://bit.ly/mentalhelplines. If you are not in the UK, google for one in your area an do call. They are anonymous, and there are volunteers on the other end of the line who are happy to help, many also have web chat and email services. If you think you are really are going to hurt yourself or someone else, call emergency services. And please do seek the support of a professional counsellor or therapist. If you are in the UK, your GP can help you access one for free, or you can use this article about finding free to low cost therapy http://bit.ly/lowcosttherapy. Finally, we have an article of proven techniques that help when you are distressed and thinking of hurting yourself here https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/feeling-suicidal-or-like-self-harming-techniques-to-stop-distress.htm. Best, HT.
Hi,
I constantly feel negative energy around me, like a bubble. It’s hard for me to go through with something without over thinking or normalizing it. For example, I’ve been trying yoga because my friend recommended me to and I do it for about 5 minutes, stop, and do a different project. I can’t stop feeling like I’m about to pass out and look stupid or be judged. I constantly try to make everyone around me happy and comfortable even if it hurts me. Also a couple times a day I feel as if something really bad is about to happen and when it doesn’t i second guess everything. I have had a lot of family issues in the past, and people tell me it’s meant to make me stronger, but i don’t want to be stronger, I want to be normal. I am terrified of asking my parents to go to therapy because I know they would tell me I’m overreacting. I hear things in my head that I would normally never think, and it makes me wonder if I’m the only one that ever thinks like this. I always feel a pit in my stomach of anxiety like every single person around me is thinking of me and what I’m wearing. I hate to self-diagnose and I cannot go to a therapist. I am just so lost with myself I don’t know what else to do.
Hi there Ang, first of all, what is ‘normal’? If it helps, we’ll let you in on a secret – it doesn’t really exist. It’s just an idea of how we should seem, but everyone is far less ‘normal’ then they might act or seem if you really get to know them, and everyone has difficult times and life challenges. Second thing – it’s okay to feel anxious and uncertain about all sorts as a teen. It’s hard being a teen, your brain is still growing and you are figuring out who you are, and many teens have anxiety and crazy thoughts (we are assuming you are a teen if you have to ask your parents for help finding therapy, once you are over 18 you don’t need permission). Is there not a chance your parents want you to feel happy and might understand? We have an article on how to ask your parents for help getting therapy here http://bit.ly/talktoparents. If you really feel that’s impossible what about talking to the counsellor at school? Is that possible? Also look for a teen helpline (they are free and confidential) in your country. If you are in the UK, there is a list here http://bit.ly/mentalhelplines. Finally, it would indeed be a good idea to seek support at some point about past family issues if they have upset you. If you can’t get therapy now, know that when you eventually move out from home and becoming independent it can make a lot of difference to mental health, and you will then be free to choose to seek therapy yourself. We wish you courage!
Hi. My wife catastrophizes most everything it seems. That and her conversations with me tend to be full of negative hyperbole, (always, never, etc) to where her point is not at all realistic or logical. I do appreciate the times when she points out a potential negative in what I thought was a good idea or plan. But the negativity saps my energy. And to compound it all, it must be noted that she lost her mom, her aunt, and her grandma all within a 45 day period, and had to pull the plug on her mom on mothers day. That was 12 years ago and understandably traumatizing. And we have been going thru a rough time now after losing everything and homeless and struggling to get on our feet again. I have to focus my own thoughts to keep them in check and rational and have my share of trauma and am not close to 100% mentally. Its hard to help carry another when you are struggling to carry yourself. I have tried to get her to see that she need only worry about the things she can affect and not spend energy on the things beyond her control. I tried to get her to consider different perspectives and to comprehend how it is that we manifest our reality and impact those around us with our energies. That her health is related to her attitude. But she is stubborn and Im too close. She needs to “find” these concepts and truths herself in order to trust or believe in them. Otherwise she expects some flaw to likely exist and let her down, because she cant trust people to not overlook something in what they try to share with her, if that makes sense. I don’t know what to do, I just know I love her and want to help her heal if that is possible. I am hoping for some help or resource I have overlooked. Thank you
Dear Rick, it does sound exhausting. And we are going to say this as gently as possible as we can see the love and the well meaning. In some ways your answer is hidden in your own comment. You say, “I have tried to get her to see that she need only worry about the things she can affect and not spend energy on the things beyond her control”. Here’s the thing. You are trying to control and change her. We can’t change another person. Ever. We can’t change the way they think or behave. And trying to do so, no matter our intentions, is control. And it’s what known is codependency. The best way to help anyone is to focus on ourselves, our arranging our lives so we feel the best we can. And to accept the other person as they are while believing in their potential. If we are with someone that deep down we are always unhappy around, and feel we have to stay with to ‘help’, or who we simply can’t see potential in or accept, then we need to look long and hard at what that is really about. And in a bigger perspective, too. Have you ever been happy with anyone, really? Or does it always turn into you seeing only their flaws, and feeling trapped and burdened? In summary, we don’t know you or her, we can’t say what is or isn’t going on, but we can say there are a lot of good questions to ask. It also sounds like you really need someone to talk to. You are struggling financially, but there might be free or very low cost counselling in your area, use our guide on finding free to low cost counselling for ideas…and if you are in the UK, you can talk to your GP who can refer you to free counselling. http://bit.ly/lowcosttherapy Best, HT
So, this is my case. I’m 20 years old. I did something stupid like one month ago. I smoked marihuana and that triggered anxiety back in my life. Since that happened, every thing I feel in my body I think the worst out of it by thinking it is a dangerous disease or something like that. From feeling I will have a heart attack, shortness of breath and chest pain, to feel muscle twitches, weakness and being constantly trembling, which make me thing about horrible things like ALS or Parkinson. I’ve been to the doctor many times by now and all of the times tell me that I’m healthy, that I have anxiety. I try to convince myself that I am not sick, but this sensations that feel so uncomfortable and uncontrollable make me think the worst out of it. Can anxiety make you actually weak and make you tremble like that? The trembling is mostly in my hands, but sometimes I can feel it almost in my entire body. I’m desperate of this and before having tried marihuana I was healthy, with no major health issues thank God, and now it feels like a nightmare. I don’t want to take any drug for now, but more to a natural approach, but I don’t know what to do.
Any advice? Thank you very much.
Hi there. Anxiety can absolutely cause all sorts of physical symptoms. We cannot offer you any kind of medical advice or diagnosis over a comment without knowing someone, so it’s best to go with advice of doctors who have met you and given you a physical checkup. But as far as anxiety goes, if it’s based around one known incident, you can try things like EMDR and clinical hypnotherapy as well as BWRT. These are all designed to work in a few sessions to remove the brain’s attachment and trigger around an experience and can be remarkably effective. As for the fact you already had anxiety, then we’d suggest CBT therapy as a short-term therapy to try. It does take several months and is a serious commitment, including homework, but it retrains your mind to not think in black and white and teaches you to talk yourself out of anxiety, so gives you tools to use for life. And we’d highly suggest you start a mindfulness practise. Studies have shown it is very helpful for anxiety. Again, it’s a long term commitment and you need to be willing to put in the work to see results. But its easy to learn, we have a free guide here http://bit.ly/mindfulnessallabout Best, HT.
Hello, I recently submitted the wrong paper into an assignment box (my friend’s paper that she gave me for reference). I was able to fix it and turn in my own, but that was after four tries. I’ve been thinking I will get dismissed from school ever since. That my entire two years of school will be over in a matter of days, and I won’t know what to tell my family after they have been with me for this entire process. Am I being realistic? I haven’t eaten anything in 3 days and can’t sleep. My professor has not released the grades yet, and I keep thinking it’s because my dismissal is in progress.
I am stuck with my thoughts. Need help.
A real help.
I’m a 20 year old lady and I need help
I always assume the worst. Last Saturday I visited my boyfriend in the house. I was very happy to see him and all of a sudden he grabbed my neck, not in a bad way though but I freaked out and thought he was able to kill me. I had a meltdown and he was stunned. I always assume that people are out to get me. I have the same feeling for literally everyone I know and I want to stop. I’m losing my loved ones and it’s hurts so bad
Hey I always feel of the worst in my situation like for example I have a roommate whom we had a misunderstanding becoz she brings a lot of her friends in our room and they start making noise for us , I know I am not used to people getting in my personal space and using my staff now today morning I had some. money I had put on my bed but then a thought came to that her friends stole it from me and on checking I had the money in my bag I always try to look for the worst in everything that is happening around me what should I do?
Hi, I don’t know if would get a reply or not but here it is. I Thu it has become my habit of always thinking about extremely wrong possible outcome even if the situation is fine. I feel like God is trying to help me and make things work for me but it’s me who by thinking the worse makes that situation worse for myself.
I really don’t understand why I do this to myself. I think the worst. This is especially when major things happen in my life. I have had many over the years. Once again I am doing it to myself. My dog had an accident and I keep saying to myself that I will have to PTS. He is under vet care and is doing as well as to be expected. I have got myself into a right state. I can’t, eat or sleep and all negative stuff in my head. Why, What if, How. Blah Blah. I have done this worst case scenario all my life. I think I learnt it from my mother. My daughter and my brother do it too. I know I am doing it. How do I stop? In most of these tough times I have experienced the worst hasn’t happened when I look back. Other people seem to be able to stay positive in tough times. It is the worst it’s going to happen I know it is. Also it brings up stuff from years ago when I get like this. I need to stop doing this to myself. I need help
Hi,
I think I struggle with this. When something happens in my life that isn’t the best, for instance I don’t get the job I wanted, I start to look up different area codes to move because I’m convinced I won’t get a job here. Also if my partner and I have a fight I start to believe either he will leave me or I will be abused by him so the rest of our lives. I’m trying hard to distance myself from these thoughts because I see how they affect my present however it’s hard. I get stuck in a loop of.. no I know this isn’t reality but what if it becomes reality and I’m just being naive. It feels like I’m trying to protect myself from the worst.
Hii,my brain is buzzing all the time,I’m exhausted,I always overthink everything to the point of unbearable,I create worse case scenarios in my head,if my husband or son didn’t answer my call I straight away imagine something horrible might of happened to them,always quiet morbid thoughts,my brain has so many thoughts,I feel sometimes like I have ants crawling there.
I think I have this. I always think the absolute worst is going to happen. I’m awaiting surgery on a broken arm and have been putting it off as I have convinced myself I won’t wake up after the anaesthetic. If a family member doesn’t reply to my text within 10 mins I constantly ring them or message other people to find out if they are alright as I’m convinced something bad has happened to them.
I’m exhausted with it now and I know it’s having an affect on my friendships as people are becoming frustrated as no matter what they say to try reassure me I don’t