How To Stop Worry of 'What If' In Its Tracks
MINDSET
Written by Rachel Mehaffey
This is how you use the Catastrophisation Technique
This is one of my favourite tools to use personally and one of the best things I have ever taught my girl. It has helped her on so many occasions when things have gotten a little heavy and her anxiety has spiked like a cactus!
The Catastrophisation Cycling Technique
Catastrophe refers to an event or situation that results in great damage, destruction, or suffering, often beyond what is expected or anticipated. It can be a natural disaster, a man-made incident, or a personal crisis or even thought pattern behaviour on everyday life. When someone lives in a state of fearing the worst possible outcome to daily life events, it leads to anxiety, elevated cortisol levels and sometimes self harming behaviours. So what can we do to control the patterns and use the cycle, to our advantage?
The catastrophisation cycle is a technique that can be used to help someone overcome anxiety. It involves imagining the worst possible outcome of a situation in order to rationalise that it is not likely to happen or that even if it does, it can be managed. This technique is easy to do and can be really effective in bringing the heightened sense of worry back to manageable levels by offering a sense of control over fears and anxieties.
There are many books on this topic but one of my favourite is Change Your thinking By Sarah Edelman focusing on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I have only read up to edition 2 but can confidently recommend the third on my past experience. There are a number of my recommendations listed in this Link. For kids I would recommend Think Good, Feel Good by Paul Stallard, it is a little easier to follow when helping the hormonal developing mind through this pathway.
Cause I Love A Good Scenario
Picture this: you're stuck at an airport on the other side of the world, frantically trying to make it to a wedding that you flew halfway across the globe for. As you approach the check-in counter, you're hit with the news that you don't have the right visa to enter the country. Your heart sinks as you realize that your PayPal payment for the visa application never went through. You start to panic, imagining the worst-case scenario of missing the wedding and letting down your close friend.
But wait! Let's use the power of catastrophising to see that things aren't as bad as they seem. Sure, you might not have the right visa right now, but what if you take a deep breath and think through your options?
First, you can speak to the airline and see if you can transfer to a later flight while you sort out your visa. Easy peasy! Then, you can apply for the visa online, which usually takes only 5 minutes to complete. Worst case scenario, it takes 45 minutes to come back to you. That's not so bad, right?
Now, let's say the visa doesn't come through and you can't change your flight. You might start to imagine the horror of having to buy a new, expensive flight and missing out on the wedding entirely. But hold on, let's think this through. If that happens, you can still enjoy the first half of your trip and fly back to Australia early. Sure, it's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world.
But wait, there's more! What if the visa does come through and you get to attend the wedding after all? You might even get an extra layover night in a new city you didn't plan on visiting. Who knows, you might even have a great time exploring this unexpected destination!
So, take a deep breath, see the reality of the NOW and take the steps you can in this moment to influence the outcome.. You've got this!
Why does it work
What we have moved through is everyday life. The trigger, an event or situation that sets off the cycle. Something we did not plan for or expect has happened and the most well laid plans or expectations have changed.
The catastrophic thinking stage is where you default and imagine the worst possible outcome of the trigger is the reality you sit in. This type of thinking takes away your power and makes you feel out of control and you can quickly spiral out of control, leading to intense feelings of fear and panic. But, if you are consciously taking yourself there rather than being dragged there by the gremlins in your gut, you control the process like a badass and use the cycle to your advantage.
The aftermath stage comes when you have casually walked to the point of the world ending in your mind and are now sitting in the aftermath where you can see that the likelihood of the outcome imagined is very unlikely and far away from where we are at this moment. You take the steps you planned to break the cycle and you feel a sense of relief knowing you are in control and things just ain’t as bad as they seem.
Catastrophe cycle is a common cognitive process that can lead to anxiety and stress.The cycle comprises three stages: the trigger, the catastrophic thinking, and the aftermath. The trigger is the event or situation that initiates the cycle, while the catastrophic thinking stage involves imagining the worst possible outcome. This can lead to intense feelings of fear and panic. Finally, the aftermath stage involves the realisation that the catastrophic thinking was unfounded.
The cycle technique is taking a natural human response to threat and using it to your advantage. Instead of letting your circumstances control you, using mindfulness techniques to stay focused on the present moment and challenging your catastrophic thoughts with action and a decent reality check means you still pilot this plane baby!
Mindset really does matter, it's why I popped together my Reset Coaching Set.
Keep It Simple - Sugar
Rach xx
Before you dive in ... Hey, I'm Rach!
I'm your in home life coach, a nerd when it comes to the body & mind. My vibe is teaching you how to thrive.
An Adelaide born life coach, podcaster, educator & dog obsessed animal lover. My purpose is giving you the tools to Level Up your life. I'm so happy you are here.
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