Catastrophising: How to Stop Expecting the Worst
Updated: Sep 10
Something happens — or sometimes nothing has happened yet — and your mind immediately jumps ahead.
Your partner hasn't replied to a message, and you start wondering whether something is wrong.
Your boss asks to speak to you, and you assume you've done something wrong.
You notice an unfamiliar physical sensation and begin imagining what it might mean.
You're waiting for the outcome of something important, and instead of considering several possibilities, your mind settles on the worst one.
If this happens regularly, you may wonder:
Why do I always expect the worst to happen, even when I know I'm probably worrying unnecessarily?
I'm Sharon Shinwell, a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor and psychotherapist with more than 25 years' professional experience. In my work, I've seen how exhausting it can be when someone's mind seems almost automatically programmed to look for what might go wrong.
There is a name for one common form of this pattern: catastrophising.
It means treating a bad outcome as though it is considerably more likely than the evidence actually suggests. It is recognised as a type of cognitive distortion rather than a reliable prediction of what will happen.
Understanding that distinction can be the beginning of changing it.
If expecting the worst has become an automatic way of thinking, I've created a Build Unshakable Optimism Hypnosis MP3 to help you work on negative thinking patterns and develop a calmer, more balanced outlook.
Why Does My Mind Automatically Go to the Worst-Case Scenario?
Your mind is very good at looking ahead.
Usually that's useful. It allows you to anticipate problems, prepare for difficulties and avoid unnecessary risks.
But that ability can become overactive.
Instead of:
This could happen, so I'll bear it in mind.
the thought becomes:
This is probably going to happen.
And because the thought creates a genuine emotional response, it can begin to feel like a prediction rather than a possibility.
The stronger the feeling becomes, the more convincing the thought can seem.
You haven't received new evidence that something bad is going to happen.
You've simply become more frightened that it might.
What Is Catastrophising?
Catastrophising is essentially a tendency to jump towards a particularly bad outcome and treat it as more probable than it really is.
Imagine you've made a mistake at work.
A balanced response might be:
I'm annoyed with myself. I'll correct it and see what happens.
Catastrophic thinking might quickly become:
My manager will think I'm incompetent. I'll lose my job. I'll struggle to find another one. How will I pay the mortgage?
Notice how quickly the mind travelled.
One mistake became unemployment and financial difficulty without anything actually happening in between.
Or perhaps someone you care about is late arriving home.
The facts are:
They're twenty minutes late.
But your mind supplies the rest of the story.
They've had an accident.
The thought produces anxiety. The anxiety makes the imagined accident feel more believable. You may then begin looking for more evidence that something is wrong.
This is how a possibility can start feeling like a probability.
Why Do I Do This When I Know It Makes Me Anxious?
Because expecting the worst can sometimes feel strangely protective.
If you've already imagined the worst possible outcome, you may feel that you're prepared for it.
You can't be caught off guard.
You can't be disappointed.
You won't be foolish enough to relax and assume everything will be all right.
I've encountered this particularly in people who have experienced difficult or unpredictable periods in their lives.
The mind can learn:
Don't relax. Stay alert. Be prepared.
The difficulty is that preparing emotionally for every bad thing that could happen means repeatedly experiencing anxiety about events that often never happen at all.
Expecting the worst may feel protective, but it doesn't give you control over the future.
It simply makes the present more stressful.
Anxiety and Uncertainty Can Feed Worst-Case Thinking
Uncertainty is uncomfortable.
Most of us would rather know what's going to happen than wait without knowing.
But if you struggle particularly badly with uncertainty, your mind may try to fill that gap.
Unfortunately, an anxious mind doesn't always fill it with:
Everything will probably be fine.
It may fill it with the outcome that feels most threatening.
Research into anxiety has found that uncertainty can be associated with increased estimates of the likelihood or cost of future threats.
This helps explain why reassurance doesn't always solve the problem.
You may feel better temporarily when someone tells you not to worry.
But another uncertain situation arrives and the process begins again.
The longer-term aim is therefore not to obtain certainty about everything.
That's impossible.
It's to become more comfortable with not knowing.
Past Experiences Can Shape What You Expect
Sometimes expecting the worst makes more sense when you look backwards.
Perhaps you've experienced a painful relationship ending unexpectedly.
Maybe you've lost a job without much warning.
Perhaps you've experienced illness, bereavement, financial problems or another difficult period when life genuinely did take an unexpected turn.
Your mind learns from experience.
After something painful happens, it may become more vigilant about preventing the same thing happening again.
That's understandable.
But the lesson can become too broad.
Instead of:
Something unexpected happened once,
it becomes:
Something unexpected could happen at any time, so I'd better constantly prepare for it.
The original experience is real.
The conclusion that every uncertain situation will end badly isn't.
Expecting the Worst in Relationships
Worst-case thinking can be particularly powerful in relationships because we care deeply about the outcome.
Your partner seems quiet.
Instead of considering that they're tired, distracted or thinking about work, you wonder whether they're upset with you.
They don't reply to a message.
You start wondering whether they're losing interest.
A small disagreement becomes:
What if this means our relationship is falling apart?
The danger is that the anxiety can then affect your behaviour.
You may repeatedly ask for reassurance, analyse your partner's words, check messages or interpret ordinary behaviour as evidence that something is wrong.
The fear can begin influencing the very relationship you're frightened of losing.
When this happens, it can help to separate:
What do I know?
from:
What am I imagining?
Those are not always the same thing.
Why Expecting the Worst Can Become a Habit
Thought patterns become familiar through repetition.
If you've spent years responding to uncertainty by imagining the worst, the process can become extremely quick.
Something happens.
You predict a bad outcome.
Your body responds with anxiety.
The anxious feeling makes the prediction seem credible.
You think about it more.
The anxiety increases.
Eventually, you may not even notice the first step. It simply feels as though anxiety appeared from nowhere.
That's why I prefer not to describe someone as simply being “a negative person”.
This is a pattern of thinking.
And patterns can change.
How Can I Stop Expecting the Worst?
The aim isn't to force yourself to believe that everything will always turn out perfectly.
That's neither realistic nor particularly convincing.
Instead, you're trying to move from automatic catastrophe towards balanced possibility.
Here are some ways to begin.
1. Catch the Story Your Mind Is Creating
When you notice anxiety rising, ask:
What am I predicting right now?
Put it into one sentence.
I'm predicting that my boss wants to sack me.
I'm predicting that my partner is losing interest.
I'm predicting that this problem will become a disaster.
Simply identifying the prediction can create a little distance from it.
You're no longer inside the story.
You're looking at it.
2. Separate Possibility From Probability
Many things are possible.
That doesn't make them probable.
Ask yourself:
Could this happen?
Then ask the much more useful question:
How likely is it to happen based on what I actually know?
Catastrophic thinking often blurs that distinction.
If something would be frightening, the mind can start treating the intensity of the fear as evidence that the event itself is likely.
It isn't.
3. Look for Evidence, Not Reassurance
Try asking:
What evidence do I have that my prediction is true?
Then:
What evidence suggests another explanation might be possible?
If someone hasn't replied to your message, perhaps they're upset with you.
But perhaps they're driving.
Working.
Talking to someone.
Their phone is on silent.
They haven't seen the message.
You don't need to replace one certainty with another.
You can simply acknowledge:
I don't know yet.
That can be surprisingly powerful.
4. Ask What You Would Say to Someone Else
We can be much more balanced when the worry belongs to somebody else.
Imagine a friend told you:
My boss has asked me to see her tomorrow. I'm definitely going to be sacked.
Would you immediately agree?
Probably not.
You might ask whether there's any evidence.
You might point out several other reasons the manager could want a meeting.
Try offering yourself the same perspective.
5. Don't Try to Eliminate Every Negative Thought
A negative thought isn't a failure.
Everybody has them.
The goal isn't to reach a state where your mind produces nothing but cheerful predictions.
Instead, learn to recognise:
This is a thought, not a fact.
You don't have to fight it.
And you don't have to obey it.
You can allow the thought to be there without building an entire future around it.
6. Come Back to What Is Happening Now
Catastrophic thinking usually takes place in the future.
What if...?
Suppose...?
What happens if...?
Bring your attention back to the present.
Ask:
What problem do I actually have right now?
Sometimes there genuinely is something you need to deal with.
If so, deal with what you know.
But quite often you'll discover that the immediate problem isn't the imagined catastrophe.
It's the anxiety being created by thinking about it.
What If the Worst Really Could Happen?
This is important because telling yourself “That will never happen” isn't always helpful.
Sometimes the thing you're worried about is possible.
A relationship can end.
A job can be lost.
A medical test can produce an unwanted result.
Life doesn't offer guarantees.
A more useful question can therefore be:
If something difficult happened, could I cope with it?
You have probably dealt with uncertainty, disappointment and difficult periods before.
Realistic optimism isn't believing that nothing bad will ever happen.
It's recognising that an uncertain future can contain good outcomes as well as difficult ones — and that you have resources for dealing with problems if they arise.
Optimism Doesn't Mean Pretending Everything Is Fine
This is where I think positive thinking is often misunderstood.
Simply repeating:
Everything will be wonderful.
isn't necessarily going to change a deeply established pattern of expecting trouble.
Your mind may simply respond:
No it won't.
Genuine optimism is more grounded.
It might sound like:
I don't know how this will turn out, but the worst outcome isn't the only possibility.
Or:
Something may be difficult, but I can deal with it when I know what I'm actually dealing with.
That's very different from pretending problems don't exist.
Can Self-Hypnosis Help With Negative Thinking?
Self-hypnosis can be used alongside these practical approaches to help work with habitual patterns of thought and response.
During hypnosis, you're physically relaxed while focusing your attention on helpful suggestions and mental rehearsal.
For someone who habitually expects the worst, this might involve imagining yourself:
remaining calmer when the outcome of something is uncertain
noticing a catastrophic thought without automatically believing it
considering several possible outcomes rather than only the worst one
responding to uncertainty with greater confidence
allowing good experiences to happen without waiting for something to spoil them
trusting yourself to deal with genuine problems if and when they occur.
The aim isn't to convince yourself that nothing bad will ever happen.
It's to help develop a more balanced automatic response.
When Should I Get Professional Help?
Occasional worst-case thinking is extremely common.
But if worrying about what might happen is taking over large parts of your day, affecting your sleep, stopping you doing things, causing repeated reassurance-seeking or significantly interfering with your relationships or everyday life, consider speaking to your GP or an appropriate mental-health professional.
Persistent catastrophising can occur alongside anxiety and other mental-health difficulties, although catastrophising itself isn't a diagnosis.
You don't need to diagnose yourself before asking for help.
You Don't Need to Know What Happens Next
If you've spent years expecting the worst, changing the pattern probably won't mean suddenly becoming someone who assumes everything will be wonderful.
Nor does it need to.
A much more realistic change is moving from:
Something bad is going to happen.
to:
I don't actually know what's going to happen.
At first, that might not sound particularly optimistic.
But there's an enormous difference between the two.
“I don't know” leaves room for things to go well.
How I Can Help
I'm Sharon Shinwell, a UK clinical hypnotherapist, counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with more than 25 years' professional experience.
I've worked with many people whose confidence and enjoyment of life have been affected by worry, negative expectations, overthinking and habitual patterns of self-doubt.
I created my Build Unshakable Optimism Self-Hypnosis MP3 for people who want additional support in developing a calmer, more balanced and optimistic way of thinking.
The session uses relaxation, suggestion and mental rehearsal to help you practise responding differently to uncertainty and negative expectations — without asking you to pretend that life's difficulties don't exist.
You can use it privately at home alongside the practical approaches I've described above.
