Coping with catastrophic thinking is possible so that this pattern does not have a negative effect on your life. 4 ways that you can cope with this type of thinking include:
1. Face the fears that you have so that they do not become larger than life. If you continuously shy away from the things that make you fearful then you will never overcome the fear and it will continue to haunt you. If you are worried that you will fall to your death from a high height then try rappelling with safety equipment. If you are scared of flying because you just know the flight will crash then schedule a flight just to address this fear head on.
2. Pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, so that you learn to recognize valid fears from those that are unrealistic or highly unlikely. When you focus on your thoughts this can help short circuit the catastrophic thinking and reset your frame of mind.
3. Instead of trying to control every little thing in your life take control over things that you can. This can help minimize the anxiety that you feel over a loss of control and it can be an effective coping mechanism.
4. Seek professional help from a mental health expert. Sometimes catastrophic thinking requires professional treatment and assistance, and self help measures do not always work for everyone. If you have difficulty coping with your thoughts or you always seem to be in an anxious or negative state of mind then a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist should be consulted.
