Irrational Thinking Styles – Catastrophizing

Irrational Thinking Styles: Catastrophizing

Making mountains out of molehills. For example, if someone is late, you immediately start worrying about car accidents, death and disability, being alone, etc. Your worries often begin with the words: “What if…” followed by some catastrophe. This list of imagined catastrophes is usually endless because there is no limit to what a fertile imagination can produce.

Example
” I haven’t heard from my daughter/friend/partner today. I hope she/he is Ok. What if she/he had an car accident or fell down the stairs at work or was caught in a fire or…..”

Instead try
” I haven’t heard from my daughter/friend/partner today. She/he is probably just busy. I might give her/him a call to see.”

Black and White Thinking

Catastrophizing

Emotional Thinking

The Fairness Fallacy

Mind Reading

Overgeneralizing

Personalizing

Shoulds

Tunnel Vision