It's a Catastrophe!

With everything going on in the world today, it’s not difficult to start catastrophizing lately. Even when we are not in the middle of a pandemic, catastrophic thinking can cause big feelings of anxiety and worry.

Catastrophic thoughts are sometimes called “snowball thoughts”. These thoughts start out as small worries, and quickly snowball into larger ones. An example of this thinking pattern is: “I might fail my math test,” which turns into, “I will fail this class,” and then, “I am never going to get into college or have a job”.

Identifying the thought pattern is the first step to changing it. Below is a 5 step strategy that can help give the thoughts less power.

A Catastrophic Thinking Strategy:

• Gather Information

  Write down everything you know to be true about the situation.
  

• Worst Case

  Write the WORST possible outcome, no matter how unlikely it is.
  

• In a Perfect World

  Write the BEST possible outcome, with as much detail as possible.
  

• Most Likely

  Write the outcome that is most possible, given all of the facts. Be honest about the realities. Often this outcome is somewhere between the two extreme outcomes.
  

• Create a Plan

  Last, create a plan of action, based on the most likely scenario.

If you notice the pattern:

If you notice that your child is catastrophizing, it can be helpful to describe these worries as snowball thoughts, and encourage your child to take steps that give them less power.

Example responses:

• "Is that a snowball thought?”

• “How can you reframe that story?"

• “What steps can you take to melt that snowball thought?”