Practical Advice Catastrophising

[Mercedesgirl]

Guys, I've struggled with this for years and years, it was brought to my attention as to just how bad it has got when my good friend ended our relationship because of this. Hed tried to help and support whilst dealing with his own issues and then said he couldn't cope with all the emotional draining.

My question is does anyone on here have any advice and tips as to how they deal with it that will hopefully help me thanks

 

[crazyk]

I’m sorry about your struggle with your friend. Do you have a therapist? Do you take meds? If you can share a bit about yourself it might help us better understand. Please feel free to talk to me whenever you want

 

[Were all together]

Hey Mercedes!
Missed you in chat earlier. It's tough to find someone who's willing to listen to you, especially irl. Unfortunately, those who do are usually ones that suffer an issue themselves. It's a shame you're good friend did that to you. But, seems to me his issues may have been getting too much for him to handle. Hopefully, he seeking professional help. As far as yourself, you can try therapy. If you can't afford it, you can try family or other friends irl. But, I'm sure you wouldn't be asking this question if you had those assets. If you're in school, counselors can help. Then, of course there's alway here. We will help as much as we can. But, remember we are not there irl like those close to you are. Hope this helps somewhat. I hope to see you around. Let me know, how things turn out.
John

 

[Nick]

That's a hard thing to recognize in yourself. Acknowledging that it might be an issue is the first step though. It's easy for us to make something more than it is, when to us it seems like a HUGE deal. One thing that has helped me gain perspective is to write it out. Write out the situation or thoughts and then go back and read it in an hour or so. Try to imagine that someone else is telling you what you wrote. See if your perspective changes. Sometimes for me it's as simple as posting a line or 2 in the petty complaint section here on the forum. I go back and read it later and think, yeah that wasn't the mountain I though just a feeling. Other times people will respond and say "dude that's not petty". I still have to evaluate it, but it helps gain that needed perspective.

 

[may71]

I don't know if you've tried CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), but it sounds like that might be a good way to deal with this.

If you are able to recognize when you are doing this, and then try to take a different perspective on it, that might help you to control this.

A meditation practice might be helpful too.

You can learn CBT techniques from a counselor, but you could also try getting a book about CBT.

 

[Aurelia]

Catastrophizing is just feeling certain uncomfortable emotions. There's no clear cut answer for what is or isn't a catastrophe. The general consensus may be that something isn't catastrophic, but it still feels like it to you. That's anxiety. Anxiety can turn anything catastrophic quite easily in someone's mind. But I don't like the term because it implies that certain things aren't as important or valid as others. Emotions are always valid. We all have a right to feel whatever it is we feel, and calling it wrong only exacerbates it. The most important thing is to accept what you feel. If you're making a huge deal out of something, then acknowledge that it feels like it's a huge deal. But also remember that you're not merely what you feel. Feelings always pass sooner or later. Granted, it can get extremely uncomfortable when they stick around for a long time, but the more you truly accept them, the less they'll stick around.