Peace and Freedom through Catastrophization Management

Episode #10: Peace and Freedom through Catastrophization Management

Dr. Prianca reflects back on an old journal entry from the early days of the pandemic. In this entry, we see how catastrophization can deplete and exhaust us.  Despite catastrophization being a natural defense mechanism, Dr. Prianca explains why it's a total waste of brain space, the common examples of how working moms catastrophize, and mindfulness as a catastrophization tool.

What you will learn:

• What is catastrophization?

• Examples of catastrophization

• The role of mindfulness in managing catastrophizing thoughts

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[FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW:]

Today I want to talk about catastrophization

What? What is that?

Ok, I didn't even know what this was until I started getting in to mindfulness meditation and reading Jon Kabat Zinn.

Catastrophization is assuming the worst-case scenario. This can be accompanied by obsessive worrying and spinning.

I used to do this constantly-catastrophize and it honestly made my life a living hell. I look at journal entries from a few years ago and see how much I was suffering. I didn't even realize it because I was in the thick of it.

I need to address it to increase your awareness of it so that you can join me in my journey of dealing with it.

Catastrophization is happiness thief. So let's face it and beat the shit out of it as best we can!

Before I give you tips and tricks to deal with catastrophization, I want to share a journal entry I found from the beginning of the pandemic in march of 2020.

The worst case scenario with covid is death. One of my partners is covid positive he is in his early 30s is certainly not ready to die. He has a six month Old infant at home and must be going crazy worrying about her. I think about him and how corona could get me next. It horrifies me. I just think that I have to get through my day and know that if I want to quit I forgive myself.

We are all grieving the life that we once knew wondering when we will see it again. It is a loss. Last night my husband was grieving and asked me what's going to happen to us? Unfortunately I do not have the answer to that. But I try to remain calm as I hold him and tell him we will just take it one day at a time. Physicians are dying all around us and I am a physician. I know that 80% of people who are affected do just fine but it seems like the doctors are dying so then I wonder am I going to die too.

During that time, it was important to work on not catastrophize. Every cough, sneeze, mask below the nose would make my throat have a squeezing sensation and I would notice it and pull myself out of the rabbit hole. That I wasn't going to get covid and I wasn't going to die. And here I am today proving that the optimistic stance was actually true.

I want you to know that you're not alone in catastrophizing. Many of us catastrophize. Maybe we are trained to do it at a young age or we learn it in medical training.

Doctors are taught to have catastrophic thinking. We must rule out the worst case scenario upon hearing any medical complaint. This is the best thing to do for the patient and also important medicolegally. Catastrophization is applauded-which is fine until the habit shows up outside of work.

When it bleeds into our personal lives, we start to suffer.

Before I began this powerful work, I used to catastrophize about EVERYTHING. It was exhausting. Child has a fever? Assume he's going to die. Someone at work says I need to talk to you, I assume I'm in big trouble. Get an unexpected phone call from my mom, assume shes calling me to tell me she has cancer.

What a way to live! When we constantly catastrophize, we are creating our own hell. It's a self-created hell. But the beauty of the self-created hell, is that we have to power to dismantle this hell!

I want to give you an example of catastrophization and coping strategies of

A client of mine a physician mother of two small kids.

Before coaching: As the pandemic set in, in a pre-vaccine era, every sneeze, cough, and cold set off her anxiety and panic at work as an allergist. She struggled with feeling this way all day every day. She would catastrophize re getting covid and passing it on to her young children.

After coaching: With awareness of the catastrophic thinking, she was able to sit with it and then use concrete anti anxiety coping strategies to pull herself out of the catastrophic brainado and take control of her experience.

I remember in January of 2020 my 22 month old had a temperature of 106 and I had to walk myself off the ledge of thinking he would die. I felt the anxiety in my throat and noticed it. Breathed. Took action to give him Tamiflu and Tylenol and it passed. He is fine now.

Do you catastrophize a lot?

Catastrophization is our protective mechanism to keep us safe. But more often then not we don't need it.

assuming the worst-case scenario is often accompanied by obsessive worrying and spinning.

The problem with catastrophizing is that we waste our precious time and brain space. Exhausting ourselves unnecessarily. And when we deplete ourselves of our finite energy, we have little to give to the areas in life where we want. As in energy to give to our families or relationships or careers.

Ok so how do we deal with catastrophization, how do we manage it and own it so it doesn't own us? How do we tap into our own power of owning the catastrophization?

This is what you do, grab a pen and paper and make a note of it so you can keep practicing it.

Now that you know what catastrophization is, you can be aware of it.

Notice your thought or feeling.

Where is it in your body? Is it a squeezing? Is it a pressure?

When I feel anxious or stressed, I usually feel a tightness in my throat.

The more I notice that and the more familiar I get with it, the more I realize it's not harming me. The increased familiarity with the sensation makes me more comfortable in a way. Comfortable with anxiety? WHATTT?

This is it. A major step forward in managing our minds. Empowering ourselves to optimize our life experience.

Once you're aware and acknowledging that catastrophization is happening, notice that you're doing it or about to do it.

Then, stop yourself in your tracks from going down the rabbit hole.

Practice mindfulness:

If you're having trouble pulling yourself out of the rabbit hole, try noticing your body. I say to myself there is a body and feel the weight of gravity on my body. This makes me feel grounded. You can also take a few deep breaths. If that's not working, you can also notice your surroundings. This will pull you out of your own head.

Maybe these tactics sound kooky to you, but I promise they are the key to getting control of your life and living with peace and ease.

It won't work at first. Meaning you might stop yourself after going deep into the rabbit hole. But as you continue to practice Awareness and stopping, you'll catch yourself earlier and earlier.

The next time you find yourself catastrophizing, just acknowledge your brain is doing it.

Then-make a decision. Take back your power. Decide to not give the catastrophic thought air time.

And if you're feeling especially ballsy, decide to assume the best instead of worst case scenario.

I parked in a seemingly shady parking garage recently; before I knew it, I was imagining my car getting stolen and broken into. Should I periodically check on my car? I pondered.

That's as far as I got. I stopped myself in my tracks, mid-catastrophization, and decided to not go any further. In fact, I assumed that the car would be okay. Worrying about it would make no difference in the outcome, but would take up precious brain space.

This is a small window into what helps me live a lighter life, in peace, and empowered.

And remember, after we acknowledge and pull ourselves out of the rabbit hole, we can take it one step further and assume the best case scenario.

Is your back killing you or you injured your ankle? Feeling frustrated like you'll never get better? How about assuming your body will heal. Because it probably will.

Assuming the best. It's a lot more difficult to do, but makes life a lot more fun.

It's fucking delightful. I'm not joking.

And in the backdrop, have faith in yourself that you can handle whatever comes your way. Just like you always have just like you always will.

Open yourself to all possibilities and trust that you can cope

Always remember that this too shall pass

And if you still don't believe this, think about a tough time you got through and handled. You're resilient. You're still here. That incident didn't kill you. Probably made you stronger. So remember that, keep that in the back of your head as your evidence of how you can and will navigate any difficulties that come your way. People love to say "Ohhhh are you sure you can do that, or that's hard to do. Or No one has ever done that." Shut that shit down. Don't listen to it and trust yourself.

If you feel like you've tried therapy self-help books exercise meditation and are still struggling as a working mom, in your marriage, in your career let's talk to get you unstuck and into peace and freedom.

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