Catastrophization | Mental well-being | Real Talk

Catastrophizing (mean.) : When someone assumes that the worst will happen. Often, it involves believing that you’re in a worse situation than you really are or exaggerating the difficulties you face.

First of all, I’d like to clarify that I’m in no way a trained professional.  I talk from my experiences and the knowledge I’ve gained thus far, and which have in some aspects been helpful to me. 

My motivation to talk about this comes from the following instance. A call from a friend who rails at me the troubles of her life, leaving her incapable to see any silver lining amidst the dark clouds. 

All the while I agreed to understand her situation, I was sure to point out that she might be catastrophizing her situation. Making sure not to leave her feeling unsure, I tried to help her reason out her way through the situation. 
Many a times, one bad instance happens and we tend to make it worse than it is. We let it overpower all aspects of our life.  We let it affect work, hobby, our love-life, our personal goals, our workout regime, our academics and so far as our family life.
We all have multiple identities and more than often we have brushed aside our problems and taken that exam, made that presentation, cooked a meal for a hungry child or handled a work related task – all in the midst of some painful event. This goes on to show, that we are very much capable of distinguishing between our multiple identities and do one or the other task while completely at the edge of another. 
“Don’t let one bad incident affect your entire day”
So often, we tend to forget that because it feels like the end of the world, especially when something bad happens related to the aspect of your life which means so much to you. 

It may happen as a result of a mental illness, like anxiety, depression etc. 
Or you might just catastrophize as a result of the cumulative effect of dealing with stresses over a continued period of time.
Bringing, this phenomenon under your  awareness so as to register that you might be doing this, can be the first step towards seeking a solution or a cure. 
You might use distraction as a tool or therapy in case the problem is persistent and a continuous one and is hampering simultaneously a number of different areas of your life.

The next time you are angry,  sad, mad, and you feel your life is falling apart,  ask yourself if that incident solely defines your entire life? 

Question yourself, if you’re Catastrophizing? And don’t forget to breathe!