When you catastrophize about a problem — expecting the absolute worst out of a situation — it can make it easier to distance yourself from how you really feel. It’s to say “I’ll never get into college” instead of “I am feeling disappointed, anxious and scared — and I need to find a way to read 20 pages before class tomorrow.”
To dwell in drama is to overlook what is real in favor of what is imagined. The next time you feel yourself going down the worst-case-scenario rabbit hole, try asking yourself how you really feel. Then ask: what is the worst that can happen right now? Then: what’s one step I can take toward solving this problem?
