4 Strategies for Not Thinking the Worst When Stressed

Imagine you have a job interview tomorrow. Some people may think about what kind of questions to ask in order to prepare. For others, the mere thought of an interview will have them tossing and turning in bed thinking about all the worst-case scenarios possible – no matter how awkward they might be.

If you have a tendency to behave this way, you are prone to catastrophizing.

Catastrophism 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 therefore are intolerant of uncertainty) are more likely to feel that way. This has been linked to anxiety – which suggests that frequent catastrophizing may be a factor in the development of certain mental health issues.

Catastrophism comes from the belief that by imagining what could go wrong, we are better able to protect ourselves from harm – both physical and mental. However, this tendency is only useful if you are able to correctly predict what will happen in a given situation and how it will make you feel.

As we imagine future events, we experience an emotional reaction to the story we are creating, and we use this response to determine how we will feel in the future. But this way of predicting the future is often wrong, as we cannot imagine everything that can happen.

This can lead us to create the wrong emotional response for future situations in our head. But our belief in what will happen in the future can have a big influence on our behavior.

For example, people who are optimistic (or even realistic) about the future are more likely to be willing to try new things. And they are also prone to noticing what went well in new situations.

In contrast, people who imagine what could go wrong are less likely to try new things. And when they try something new, they are more likely to realize what went wrong.

This will be stored in your memory and will add up to reasons why you shouldn’t try new things in the future. As a result, catastrophizing can create undue stress and anxiety and keep you from doing things you might enjoy or learn.

If you’re someone who tends to behave like this when you’re stressed or anxious, there are some strategies that can help.

1. Make decisions in the morning

We often worry about the future at night. When we are sleeping, activity in the rational part of our brain is reduced, and activity in the more emotional part of our brain increases.

As a result, we tend to use our emotional brain to imagine the future when we are awake at night.

Lack of sleep can also make us more sensitive to things we find threatening. This can lead us to focus more on what can go wrong and make us more prone to catastrophizing.

It can be helpful to remember that you are not thinking rationally when you are awake worrying about something. It can also be helpful to wait until morning to make decisions when your brain is rested.

2. Watch how you criticize yourself

Catastrophism can be driven by our own internal criticisms.

When this happens, try to imagine it as if you were looking at someone else. What language would you use? Would you speak like this to another person in a similar situation? Is the language useful or justified? Often the answer to these questions will be no.

Be aware of the language you use with yourself when you are worried or stressed. If it’s overly harsh, try switching to a gentler way of talking to yourself.

3. Think of all the possibilities

Even if things have gone wrong in the past, it is unlikely that they will in the future – despite what we may tell ourselves.

If you have a tendency to think catastrophically about future events, try to imagine ways this event might go well, which can help you feel less anxious.

Another strategy is to think of not just one, but several ways something could happen. This can help you remember that the stories you are telling yourself are just that: stories.

Choosing to focus on those with a positive outcome can also help you feel less worried or stressed.

4. Have compassion for yourself

Try to be more compassionate with yourself as you consider your future. It’s harder than you might think – even for people who are very compassionate and empathetic to others.

Compassion and empathy have evolved to help us interact well with others. In this way, compassion and empathy were not really meant to be used for ourselves.

But little things — like asking yourself what advice you could give a friend in your situation — can help you act differently.

Practicing this often can even help you see solutions when you might otherwise have just focused on the problem.

Planning ways things might go wrong in the future serves one purpose: to keep us safe.

But if you find that you frequently catastrophize by thinking about worst-case scenarios — especially to the detriment of your own mental health — it can be important to remember that the things you’re worrying about may never happen.

And if they do, they’ll probably end up being a lot better than you think.

*Patricia Riddell is Professor of Applied Neuroscience at the University of Reading, UK.

This article was originally published on the academic news site The Conversation and republished here under a Creative Commons license. Read the original version here (in English).

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