Therapy
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment that aims to change thought patterns by helping patients:
- learn to recognise and re-evaluate their cognitive distortions
- develop problem-solving skills and coping mechanisms that help reduce the effect of cognitive distortion triggers
- build a greater sense of self-confidence, limiting the control that negative fears have over them
“It analyses how your thoughts influence your feelings and behaviours,” Cramer explains.
She says CBT not only equips people with concrete tools to recognise and combat their distortions, but when practiced regularly enough, these learned skills become habits, replacing formerly catastrophic thought patterns.
Medication
While catastrophising isn’t a medical diagnosis itself, it’s often a symptom of conditions like generalised anxiety disorder.
Dr Saltz says that for people with high anxiety levels, medication can help reduce symptoms, including diminishing their catastrophic thinking.
Mindfulness
Cramer says building a practice around distinguishing facts from feelings – a form of mindfulness – can help stop catastrophic thinking in its tracks.
“Whenever you are thinking a negative thought, determine if it is a feeling or fact,” she says.
“If you do not have any evidence to support the thought, it is simply a feeling and not the actual truth. Anyone can believe anything they want, but is it actually true?”
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