My Addiction to Catastrophizing
I don’t know when I started catastrophizing, but I have done it for as long as I can remember. Maybe I got into this habit to protect myself from the worst-case scenario so that when things go south, I can tell myself, “Oh! We prepared for this.” I think it was a way to protect my emotional health.
Recently, I realized that I only seek out worst-case scenarios and successfully suck out the joy of anything good that has or might happen in my life. This habit has become so worse that I believe my worst-case scenario is the only reality waiting for me in the future, forcing me to believe everything I think.
But here’s what I have realized—my thoughts are just my thoughts. Not my reality or my future.
My thoughts are the root cause of my addiction, and my critical inner voice thrives on it and bullies me day and night. To get rid of this toxic pattern, I have started to acknowledge my thoughts but remind myself that it is not my reality. It has certainly helped me in taming my inner critical voice.
If you are someone who catastrophizes, acknowledge your thoughts but do not give them power by thinking about them for too long. Accept and let go.
