Human performance and optimal living are heavily impacted by physical obstacles, set-backs, limitations, or traumas. What I find amazing is how these obstacles, set-backs, limitations, and traumas affect individuals differently. While someone’s progress gets halted by an obstacle, another finds a way around it. A set-back may cause one person to sit down, complain, and surrender, while another uses that set-back to bolster their plan and create a new and better route. A person will tell you all the reasons why they cannot succeed and share everything they needed but did not have, while another person with the same limitations flourishes. And trauma of any kind makes for a worthy excuse as to why someone would fail to grow, produce, or be successful, yet many with the same type and extent of trauma excel, contribute, and thrive.
So, what is the difference? Why do some succeed and others fail? Why can two people in such similar environments have such different outcomes? Well… there are many reasons and numerous factors. One that I see playing a major role is attitude. An event is one thing, but how that event is viewed is another. And how we view an event can cause unnecessary negative emotions, stress, and anxiety.
It is common for us to magnify the bad in situations. It is easy to make things seem worse than they are. And we tend to tease out worse case scenarios. I recently heard someone refer to it as catastrophizing. Having never heard that word, but liking it, I looked it up. Turns out, it is an actual word, which Psychology Today defines as “a cognitive distortion where individuals habitually assume the worst-case scenario, blowing minor setbacks out of proportion and feeling as though they are in an uncontrollable crisis.”
We’ve all done it… turned a minor setback into an uncontrollable crisis… assumed the worst-case scenario… made a mountain out of a molehill. As defined above, it’s a cognitive distortion. This means that your mind made it up or altered it. It’s not real!
So, what’s the problem? When our minds believe something to be worse than it is, our physiology changes to match that belief. According to that post I read on Psychology Today, “it is a common, often unconscious, anxiety-driven habit that can cause significant emotional distress, fuel depression, and heighten the perception of pain.” That’s the problem… emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and even amplified feelings of pain.
How much of our suffering is imagined? How much mental anguish are we putting ourselves through for no reason? How much mental illness is starting with our thought process, leading to the disruption and imbalance of brain chemistry?
If all we have to do is change our outlook, improve our perception, and work harder to see things as they actually are, then why don’t we do it? Well, our brains are wired for this kind of thinking. Our ancestors had to be on-guard all the time. They had to anticipate animal attacks, worry about where their next meal would come from, assume bad weather might be coming, and be very skeptical of outsiders. Their lives were vulnerable, and their risk was high, so the human brain allowed for catastrophizing. It served us well back then. But these days, we’re not getting attacked by wild animals, food is plentiful, and we can easily protect ourselves from the elements.
So, what can you do to prevent your thoughts from spinning out of control? How can you better control your thoughts? Here are six quick tips… (1.) When thinking about what is wrong with a situation, try thinking about what is right with that situation; (2.) Remind yourself that more than 90% of the things we fear do not come to fruition; (3.) Ask yourself this question… What proof do I have? Our fearful thoughts often crumble when we try to support them with facts and find that the facts just aren’t there; (4.) Practice mindfulness. Try deep breathing exercises, use a guided meditation, or think about a time in your life when you were happy or excited; (5.) Think of three things you are grateful for, which shifts your mind from stress and anxiousness to love and gratitude.
Finally, one of the best ways to manage negative thinking and catastrophizing is to take care of yourself. Exercise resets the mind, bolsters positive brain chemicals, and neutralized the stress response. Eating whole, real foods, supplies your body with supportive nutrients while artificial sweeteners and flavorings, synthetic chemicals, and high amounts of sugar negatively alter your mood, energy, and brain function. Getting more high-quality sleep is critical for optimal thinking and performance. Too little sleep, or poor-quality sleep, makes you much more vulnerable to seeing the worst in things, and makes it much harder to see the positive. Avoid drugs and alcohol, as these directly alter your thinking and reality. Turning off the news would be another great step, as today’s news is a catastrophizing machine.
The mind is a very powerful thing. And life is filled with enough toughness and adversity. Don’t let yourself create more anguish, more stress, and more anxiety by allowing your thoughts to create problems that are not real. Work on reducing your tendencies to catastrophize.
