Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Do you ever find yourself thinking that the worst possible thing might happen in a situation? Some examples are, “If I fail this exam, I will never pass school, and I will be a total failure in life” or “If me and my partner break up, I’ll never be able to find someone again”. 

This pattern of thinking is called catastrophising, which is an unhelpful thinking style that every person tends to engage in from time to time. Unhelpful thinking styles can also become automatic habits that individuals may not realise they are engaging in. This becomes problematic when these thoughts cause an increase in anxiety and decrease in mood. When this happens regularly and consistently this may have a detrimental impact on an individual’s social, academic, occupational and personal life. It is common in anxiety disorders and depressive disorders that an individual’s symptoms may be maintained by unhelpful thinking styles such as catastrophising. 

Catastrophising occurs when we imagine and believe that the worst possible thing will happen in a situation when in reality it may be a smaller problem and the catastrophic outcome may be unlikely. These thoughts may occur in response to an ambiguous situation, a situation we hold strong value for and situations we fear. 

If you are somebody who may notice a catastrophic thought from time to time, there are ways in which we can begin to become more critical and analytical of our thoughts. This can help us determine whether the thought is realistic and fair which may alleviate some distress that the thought caused. It can be helpful to write the thought down, then ask yourself:

Ok, thinking that the worst possible thing will definitely happen isn’t really helpful right now. What is most likely to happen? 

It is also important to be mindful of when we are stressed or tired as we may be more prone to engaging in unhelpful thinking styles such as catastrophising. This can be managed by maintaining self-care strategies particularly during times of stress which may include, exercise, relaxation activities, stress relieving techniques and mindfulness. 

When we begin to pay more attention to this pattern of thinking we can get better at stopping it in its tracks!