The End of the World

We live in an age of exaggeration. Things are blown out of all proportion. It doesn’t take much for social media to erupt in howls of doom, gloom, condemnation and the other horseman of the apocalypse. People appear to lack the sense to see things in context. Everything is black or white. Everything is catastrophic. The worst is always going to happen. A herd mentality kicks in – people seizing on the catastrophizing of others. You’d think the world was going to end. Yet the next day the world keeps turning and there is another issue which takes up the mantle of horror.

Catastrophizing is expecting the worst possible outcome from a set of events. It’s unfounded fear magnified. It’s paranoia intensified. It’s irrational. It’s a horrible way to live. I spent a lot of my life like this. It drains you. It’s a sign of depression, anxiety, mental illness. And it needs to be combatted.

The first thing is to realise when you’re doing it, that you’re seeing a thing in the worst possible light. Once aware of what you’re doing, you can start to tackle it. When you notice you’re doing it, visualise a massive STOP sign in your mind, accompanied by the sound of screeching tyres. Ask yourself whether it’s really likely to turn out as bad as you expect. Put it into context. Ask realistically, what’s actually likely to happen. If you made a mistake and it’s possible to correct it, do so. If you did something wrong, seek to put it right. If a situation is out of your hands, instead of constantly dwelling on it, get on with life and let other people sort it out. Take a day at a time. Be calm. Take deep breaths. When thoughts of exaggerated, negative expectations come to your mind, realise they’re just thoughts and don’t necessarily reflect reality. Keep telling yourself the bad outcome is unlikely to be as bad as you think. Or even happen at all.

This is about irrational thinking. If there are good reasons for expecting a very bad outcome, this is not directed at you. What I’m referring to is a persistent, extreme expectation of the very worst. It’s negative thoughts spinning out of control which need nipping in the bud. It may well take a good deal of persistent practice to break the habit, but it’s a great tool to have in your armoury.

You can think up some visual metaphors to help you. Imagine you are playing cricket, perhaps. When you spot a catastrophic thought, picture a cricket ball as the thought coming towards you and you magnificently hit it for six to the adulation of the crowd. Or you’re a boxer – the thought is your opponent striding towards you but you punch him to the floor and raise your arms in triumph! These symbols of victory can help you mock the fears and show yourself a conqueror.