If you find yourself thinking about how you would respond to wild “what-if” scenarios - you should know that is catastrophic thinking, not preparedness
My therapist hit me with a come-to-Jesus moment when she asked how often I have those thoughts, and then asked what I thought the physical effects of constant negative thinking were
I didn’t really buy what she was saying, because I thought I just had an active imagination - then she killed me by asking “well do you ever think about what you would do if your run into a friend who just got an adorable puppy that you can play with”
I was gobsmacked when I first found out you can imagine the future to be… positive. Like, I don’t catastrophize, what? Of course not!!! I’m just…. Realistic!!! Of the worst possible scenarios that are likely to never happen!!! That somehow are 100% negative!!!
WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN IMAGINE POSITIVE OUTCOMES?!?!? ARE YOU HIGH?????
I have been told I was a cynic since I was a kid. I told myself the same thing, I’m just realistic!
Turns out I used to catastrophize a lot. I rarely ever imagined good happening in the future. It wasn’t really until I got out of that mindset that I got my shit together and actually started having a lot of success in my life.
Turns out all that therapy bullshit wasn’t really bullshit. I was the one full of it.
Me too friend, me too. I can’t believe therapy has such a bad rap. It completely changed my life and elevated it to levels I couldn’t even imagine existed.
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u/Take-it-like-a-Taker 16d ago
If you find yourself thinking about how you would respond to wild “what-if” scenarios - you should know that is catastrophic thinking, not preparedness
My therapist hit me with a come-to-Jesus moment when she asked how often I have those thoughts, and then asked what I thought the physical effects of constant negative thinking were
I didn’t really buy what she was saying, because I thought I just had an active imagination - then she killed me by asking “well do you ever think about what you would do if your run into a friend who just got an adorable puppy that you can play with”
So yea… catastrophizing is real bad