{"id":6401,"date":"2021-02-18T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?p=6401"},"modified":"2023-08-04T10:58:48","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T17:58:48","slug":"coping-with-catastrophic-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Catastrophic thinking is when a person continuously thinks about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Irrational thoughts and emotions replace logical thinking. And life becomes a cycle of repetitive worry.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Catastrophic thinking causes:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u25cf Difficulty concentrating<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf Loss of sleep<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf Added stress<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf Increased anxiety<\/p>\n<p>\u25cf Worsens existing mental health conditions<\/p>\n<p>Pandemics, political upheaval, social unrest, and other crises can trigger people into catastrophic thinking.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>How To Cope with Catastrophic Thinking<\/strong><\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Get Logical<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>If you catch yourself slipping into catastrophic thinking, ask yourself, \u201cWhat are the odds of what I\u2019m worried about actually coming true?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Does it make sense to worry about the worst-case outcome?<\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s something, you can do about it, great! But many situations are beyond our control. Besides, many of the things we worry about rarely turn out the way we fear. So doesn\u2019t it make sense to focus our thoughts and energy on things we can change or do something about?<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Be Optimistic<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Staying positive generates confidence, strength, and resourcefulness, qualities you need when facing a crisis. Choose to be optimistic even when tempted otherwise because it will create a better outcome in the end.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Rest<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Your quality of life affects your thought and perspective. Getting enough rest and taking care of yourself boosts your ability to deal with difficult feelings and situations. Consider taking time to restore your soul with prayer and other faith practices.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Enhance Your Mental Environment<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>What we see and hear affects how we think. So consider taking a vacation from watching or listening to the news. Read an inspiring book. Visit a friend. Volunteer or help someone in need. Fill your mind with uplifting thoughts and activities.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Live Now<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Spending too much time \u201cliving\u201d in the future causes worry and anxiety. Take life one day at a time. You create your future by how you live today. Everyone worries from time to time. So don\u2019t be too hard on yourself. It\u2019s wise to plan for the future; don\u2019t live there.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Reach Out<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Isolation amplifies catastrophic thinking. Connect with friends; socialize. Take a couple of hours to support a worthy cause. Choose to make the world a better place. If you struggle with catastrophic thinking, consider searching for a legitimate online support group where you can give and receive social interaction and support.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Take a Break<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>When life gets hard, it\u2019s easy to worry about worst-case scenarios. Be kind to yourself when facing difficult situations that fill your heart with worry. Give yourself a much-needed break by taking a walk in the park; enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Do something active that gets the blood flowing. Work out, enjoy a bike ride or take a hike. Do something you enjoy, whether it\u2019s reading, getting your camera and taking pictures, cooking, or building something.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Do Something \u2013 Take Action<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Taking charge of our lives makes things better. We tend to worry when we feel like life is in charge of us \u2013 when we feel out of control. Think about your life for a second. What\u2019s an area that\u2019s under your control? What do you have the power to do something about? Could you take action in your diet or exercise? Is there a relationship you could improve in some way? What about your relationship with yourself \u2013 could you choose to forgive yourself?<\/p>\n<h5><strong>It\u2019s Okay to Talk to a Counselor<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>For some people, catastrophic thinking consumes them. It affects their quality of life, work and harms their relationships. Seeing a counselor or therapist will help them break free from catastrophic thinking and start turning things around.<\/p>\n<p>This article\u2019s purpose isn\u2019t for you to ignore the realities of daily life but to empower yourself by using these tips to take charge of your life and destiny starting right now.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t let anyone but you be in charge of your peace of mind.<\/p>\n<p>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@chris_istong?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">christopher catbagan<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/worry?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Catastrophic thinking is when a person continuously thinks about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Irrational thoughts and emotions replace logical thinking. And life becomes a cycle of repetitive worry. Catastrophic thinking causes: \u25cf Difficulty concentrating \u25cf Loss of sleep \u25cf Added stress \u25cf Increased anxiety \u25cf Worsens existing mental health conditions Pandemics, political upheaval, social unrest, and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5203,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[161,1049,387,1134],"aware":[1752,1753],"class_list":["post-6401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","tag-anxiety","tag-emotional-health","tag-happiness","tag-mental-well-being","aware-attitude","aware-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Catastrophic thinking is when a person continuously thinks about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Irrational thoughts and emotions replace logical thinking. And life becomes a cycle of repetitive worry. Catastrophic thinking causes: \u25cf Difficulty concentrating \u25cf Loss of sleep \u25cf Added stress \u25cf Increased anxiety \u25cf Worsens existing mental health conditions Pandemics, political upheaval, social unrest, and...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lifestyle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lynell LaMountain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lynell LaMountain\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lynell LaMountain\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6\"},\"headline\":\"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\"},\"wordCount\":655,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"anxiety\",\"emotional health\",\"happiness\",\"mental well-being\"],\"articleSection\":[\"All\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\",\"name\":\"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1706,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\",\"name\":\"Lifestyle\",\"description\":\"Mind Body Soul\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Lifestyle.org\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Lifestyle.org\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6\",\"name\":\"Lynell LaMountain\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lynell LaMountain\"},\"description\":\"Lynell LaMountain co-hosts Life Style Magazine, a weekly syndicated television show that averages three million viewers. Lynell is a published writer, professional speaker, coach. His areas of expertise are decision making, relationships and outlook.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle","og_description":"Catastrophic thinking is when a person continuously thinks about irrational, worst-case outcomes. Irrational thoughts and emotions replace logical thinking. And life becomes a cycle of repetitive worry. Catastrophic thinking causes: \u25cf Difficulty concentrating \u25cf Loss of sleep \u25cf Added stress \u25cf Increased anxiety \u25cf Worsens existing mental health conditions Pandemics, political upheaval, social unrest, and...","og_url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/","og_site_name":"Lifestyle","article_published_time":"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1706,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lynell LaMountain","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lynell LaMountain","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/"},"author":{"name":"Lynell LaMountain","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6"},"headline":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking","datePublished":"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/"},"wordCount":655,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","keywords":["anxiety","emotional health","happiness","mental well-being"],"articleSection":["All"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/","name":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking - Lifestyle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-18T20:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-04T17:58:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","width":1706,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/coping-with-catastrophic-thinking\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Coping With Catastrophic Thinking"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/","name":"Lifestyle","description":"Mind Body Soul","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization","name":"Lifestyle.org","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Lifestyle.org"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6","name":"Lynell LaMountain","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lynell LaMountain"},"description":"Lynell LaMountain co-hosts Life Style Magazine, a weekly syndicated television show that averages three million viewers. Lynell is a published writer, professional speaker, coach. His areas of expertise are decision making, relationships and outlook."}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/christopher-catbagan-GJsyfWI2XQ0-unsplash-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6401"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13167,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6401\/revisions\/13167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6401"},{"taxonomy":"aware","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aware?post=6401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}