stopping catastrophic thinking

From the time before I can remember, I have had the chronic problem of having "catastrophic thinking". It has been the source of... many problems in my life and it really continues to ruin it. (Well, ruin is a strong word but really affects it negatively) the problem is that I've pretty much been this way since birth. It's as natural and unconscious to me as breathing. Being in that state of mind it doesn't always occur to be that these thoughts are delusional, since they are always perfectly justified at the time.

Hi Kaika. I'm sorry you have this problem. I can definitely relate. I also do a lot of catastrophic thinking......Indeed, this is very common for people with Anxiety Disorders. It's a hard habit to break. Working with a therapist can help. Are you getting any treatment at all?

"I Survived Catastrophic Thinking" , by Gus,,, it can be done, but as with all worthwhile things it takes a strong determination and lots of Practice Practice Practice,,, first you decide to stop, then you notice that it's happening, and say: STOP ~ it won't of course, so you give yourself an alternative thought, write some down, they are easier to recall that way,,, then when you finally manage to have a comforting thought, Praise YOURSELF ~! reinforce that event~~! repeat as needed,, ad infinitum,, and voila'~! you are a new person,, (just a little joking with you, to lighten the mood,, ) best wishes,, Gus

I have this all the time and its make me feel like Iam going Insane.Hugs you are not alone

Love your anime pics

Catastrophic thinking is one of the things that CBT deals with. I have a book on CBT and it has helped me recognize and deal with it. Pretty much what has been said above, but I refer to the book periodically when it starts to get out of control again. Reading the same stuff over and over again helps retrain my thinking.

That is so true! (((((wing)))) I often get despondent because I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. But if you think about it, it's taken me 40 + years to get this good at catastrophic thinking. So, clearly, it's going to take considerable TIME and effort to re-wire my brain. Re-reading and re-learning useful techniques is an excellent way to go!! Thanks for reminding me of that!

I'm in a bad bout of this now. I'm having an awful time with concentration and memory, convinced often that I'm developing dementia. I start posting a message, then quit, because putting my thoughts together coherently feels like a huge chore lately. Maybe I'm just judging too severely what I'm writing in a post. I get self-critical because I don't know the standard things about forums and chats. Sometimes, I'm frozen in fear with social anxiety, and can't reach out and make contact, though I really want to. And I interpret it all in the bleakest ways. I forget how to soothe myself. It's like wandering into a box or paper bag and not knowing how to get out. This is just a bad night. Couldn't get into a chatroom each time I tried. Sorry for being rambling and negative.

(((((((lavieenrose)))))))) Sorry you were unable to get into a chatroom. I'm sure it was just some technical glitch and I've seen a post by someone else somewhere about having similar problems (being unable to enter chat).

I hear you on the poor memory and concentration. One of my biggest problems right now in that regard is that I am forever losing things. It's just getting ridiculous!! Certainly the word "dementia" pops into my mind with unwelcome regularity also

And I can definitely relate to what you say here about interpreting things in a bleak way too!

I really hope tomorrow is a better day for you (((((((lavieenrose)))))

(((((Sundog))))) Thanks, and I hope that you're having some peach. Ha ha, had to leave that goof in. I meant peace. Sometimes it seems these human brains are designed to torture their owners. Capable of such ingenuity, and yet...

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's probably necessary but CBT has always rubbed me the wrong way, to put it lightly. The very concept or retraining your brain makes it sound like either brain washing or a nice healthy reminder that yet, my species is in fact just another animal that can be trained like an elephant or a dog.

It can be pretty bad at times, These past couple of days alone have been rougher then usual for me for a lot of my issues and I don't really know why. Just as an example whenever I'm alone in a public place the only thing my mind can think about is that there is going to be some crazy guy that'll kill me or worse for... no particular reason. Thankfully with this I don't panic or anything, just more like "what the heck, me." at these seriously creepy and morbid thoughts.

I just need to tell you that knowing there is a name for what I suffer from has already helped me! I have suffered from this for as long as I can remember too.
hang in there, I'm trying...

What has helped me immensely with catastrophic thinking has been DBT. CBT has not really done the trick for me in regard to my constant catastrophic thoughts.

But DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) helps with emotion regulation and distress tolerance and helps with techniques to (my words) "stop spinning" before the thinking gets to "red zone" levels. Or, if I reach the red zone level, it helps me to get out of it more quickly instead of ruminating and making it continue.

It has really helped me. It's a huge time investment, but worth every bit of it. I still have my issues, but it helps me cope, and people have noticed the changes.