Tips for Escaping the Catastrophizing trap, Cont’d

Create problem-solving and coping strategies for high-probability events (e.g., earthquake, tornado, or flooding risks.) Believing yourself capable of managing undesirable events can reduce catastrophizing.

 Practice thinking ahead. Take proactive steps to prevent what can be prevented and plan how to handle what was not or could not be prevented. I tell my brain: Arlene, in an earthquake, you are doing do such-and-such.

 When negative things happen—and they will, as no one gets off this planet unscathed—learn as much as you can from them. Be willing to try new options which sometimes can result in wonderful new opportunities.

 Look for the happy and positive things in life. Stop focusing on and ruminating about all the negative experiences while glossing over positive experiences as if they were just luck or a fluke. Do random acts of kindness. They help the brain feel better. 

If you have difficulty or continue experiencing catastrophizing thoughts, seek professional help. 

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Escaping the Catastrophizing Trap

Catastrophizing is unhealthy for both brain and body and unpleasant to hear. Fortunately, it is possible to develop a new mindset and habits. Here are several tips.

Become aware of yourself experiencing cognitive distortions and picturing a catastrophe. Estimates are that 50 percent of problems in life are of a person’s own making based on personal choices. Identify a past problem and imagine a different outcome based on making a different choice.

·       Distinguish between positive, neutral, negative, or catastrophic outcomes. Failing to be hired in a job you wanted or failing an exam can be a negative outcome. It does not mean you will never find a job or be doomed to fail all exams.

 Practice weighing possibility versus probability. Consider a range of potential outcomes from low possibility to high probability. If you do not know how to swim, spontaneously trying to swim the English Channel would be a poor choice with a high probability of serious consequences. More to come.

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Catastrophizing Brain Filtering

Brains that catastrophize tend to dwell on disappointment and disaster, filtering out all positives until they seem to recognize only negatives. They tend to keep repeating whatever they did before, which did not work, while hoping for a different outcome. Many throw up their hands and refuse to problem solve, period, believing they are helpless and everything in life is beyond their capability. They often respond to helpful suggestions with: Nah, that won’t work. They may stop trying to learn or neglect to apply new information, convinced it won’t help anyway, or try blame others in an effort to reduce some of their own discomfort. Since they rarely are open to trying other options, they may miss opportunities that do exist, thus becoming their own worst enemy. Remember the words attributed to Winston S. Churchill, reportedly a bit of a worrier himself: “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.

Catastrophic Thinking

What is Catastrophic thinking?

Catastrophic thinking is a cognitive or thinking distortion included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5^th edition under Somatic Disorders. Fear, the underlying emotion for catastrophic thinking, is exhibited as persistent anxiety and worry. Some learned this in childhood from observing adults around them. Others developed this mindset after bad things happened. They quickly learned to imagine the worst possible scenario, jumping straight to the conclusion that it likely will happen. It’s as if they actually look for disasters to occur. If it does, they say, ‘I knew it! It always goes wrong. It’s hopeless.” Researchers of chronic pain have identified a three-step thinking pattern related to catastrophic thinking: Rumination, Magnification, and Helplessness. Unfortunately, it can become a habit and can lead to depression. More tomorrow.

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SCN & Rapid Changes

Hear Ye Hear Ye as the old town crier used to say. The SCN or brain’s internal circadian rhythm clock does NOT react well to rapid changes in light and dark (outside of the sun’s regular rise and setting). Rapid changes produce circadian disruption problems that can cause sleep dysfunction, daytime sleepiness, an increase in accidents, suppressed immune system, and so on. Rapid changes may be seen in shift work, especially if the shifts change frequently, and in jet lag. The number of time zones that are crossed is the factor in jet lag. Estimates are that it can take one day for every time zone crossed for the SCN or brain’s internal circadian rhythm clock to catch up. E-W or W-E flights are more problematic than N-S or S-N flights. Going straight north or south might have no time changes at all. Going West to East  is more problematic because you lose an hour. Going East to West is still problematic but slightly less so but milder because you gain time, which seems to hit the SCN less dramatically.

Jet Lag

I would really like to understand what happens in the brain with Jet Lag. Before travel was curtailed, I regularly flew to and from London and I always had Jet Lag. Any ideas?

Deep within your brain, located in the front portion of the hypothalamus, is a pacemaker or circadian clock. It is known as the Suprachiasmatic Nuclei or SCN. Its two portions contain about 10,000 neurons . It has two nuclei (portions) containing about 10,000 neurons. Reportedly, the sun clock has a 24-hour rhythm that is about 23 hours and 58 seconds long. The SCN or circadian rhythm clock has an internally driven 24-hour rhythm that tends to run slightly longer than 24 hours by a few minutes. The clock needs to reset itself every day by the sun’s sunlight. If for some reason sunlight cannot enter the eye, the circadian clock does not reset and a non-24 hour syndrome can occur. 

April Fools' Day

How in heaven’s name did April Fool’s Day come about? It’s plain ridiculous!

Thanks for the question. I didn’t know so I looked it up. Its exact origins remain a mystery, although it is still celebrated on April 1^st annually. There is speculation it may have started in1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, per the Council of Trent decision in 1563. The mandate changed the New Year to begin the first of January. In the Julian Calendar, the new year had started with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were a bit slow to get this news and were either unaware or reticent to get on board were called “April fools.” They often became the butt of hoaxes and jokes. According to History.com, “The embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.” Some people, caught unawares, can be quite gullible on April 1^st. Personally, I always try to double check what I am told on that day and avoid swallowing everything I hear hook, line, and sinker.

 A new audio podcast is posted every Saturday morning

https://anchor.fm/arlene-r-taylor