So another way in which cognitive behavioral therapy is useful is working with the catastrophizing thinking that tends to happen with anxiety. So what do I mean when I say catastrophizing?
Catastrophizing is another type of cognitive distortion that occurs when we experience a surge of anxiety or distress in the moment, and we really believe that the worst case scenario is definitely going to happen in this moment.
One example of catastrophic thinking would be back in the day, perhaps you were in school, and you might’ve received a bad grade on a test and immediately you might’ve thought, Oh no, my life is over.
That my life is over piece is a good example of catastrophic thinking because it assumes the absolute worst case is definitely going to happen in this moment as a result. So one of the ways which we can work with catastrophic thinking is to do something called a thought record. And really a thought record is a very measured or procedural approach, usually it has five steps, where you initially identify the irrational thought. In this case, it would be the my life is over. And then you start to weigh the evidence for that irrational thought and then the evidence against that irrational thought. So we go with the evidence for the irrational thought first, because we think things for a reason, right? So it’s good to validate for yourself and understand why you think and feel this irrational thought in the first place. We then go to the evidence that does not support that irrational thought, because it’s important to then observe the counterbalance and add in the evidence that we’re not initially taking in.
In this case, with the my life is over, obviously it would be okay, the evidence for why do I think this? Perhaps, it feels really intense in this moment and I’m really upset with myself and that might feel like it’s a life ending event. But then when you pause and think about it, the evidence against that is, okay, obviously, this isn’t going to end my life. More than likely there are going to be some negative outcomes to it, but it certainly isn’t going to end my life. And really what you do when you do the evidence for and the evidence against, then you land on that final step of the thought record, which is going to be the more measured approach.
And when you take that approach, you take both parts into account, and you try to develop a more kind of whole, minded perspective around the situation, instead of just leaning into and accepting the catastrophic thought is true. For example, that kind of last step with a thought record in this case might be, okay, so I am upset with myself for the poor grade on the test. That’s reasonable. That’s fair. But it certainly doesn’t mean my life is over. This is now an opportunity for me to show to myself and show other people that I can take on this type of challenge and certainly do better next time. And the more you do these thought records, the more you train yourself to not engage in catastrophic thinking as much.
And even when it does happen, you’re able to work through this thought record measured approach in a more helpful way. So it prevents you from spiraling out in the moment as a result. So ultimately catastrophic thinking really is a common cognitive distortion when it comes to anxiety and something we feel very confident in working with our clients here at Good Therapy SF.
Take care.