How to Stop Seeing Catastrophes Everywhere You Look
Practice seeing through the disasters the mind creates.
Updated March 20, 2026 | Reviewed by Devon Frye
In difficult times, our minds are good at imagining worst-case scenarios. In the coronavirus pandemic, for example, it’s easy to worry that we’re heading toward a complete breakdown of society. Most of the time, these nightmares don’t come true, but they cause us a lot of misery in the form of fear and dread.
Jumping to disaster scenarios is called “Catastrophizing,” and it’s one of many thinking errors our minds often make; see this list for other types (excerpted from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple ). Thankfully, we can learn to recognize and challenge these ways of thinking using the practices of mindfulness -centered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). For a general overview of the technique, see this previous post: How to Train Your Mind to Lower Anxiety .
You’ll know your mind is Catastrophizing when it fast forwards to a disastrous outcome that feels terrifying. For example, when a person learns that meat processing plants are closing, their mind leaps to, “We’re all going to starve!” It’s obviously not a good thing that there are high rates of coronavirus infections in these plants, or that some of them have closed. But that doesn’t mean the entire food supply chain is going to break down and that we’re all headed for starvation. (There’s an element of another thinking error called Fortune Telling in this fear, too, but that’s a topic for another post.)
Another clue that the mind is Catastrophizing is when you feel helpless and hopeless to deal with the scary scenario you’re imagining. When we catastrophize, we expect not only that something awful will happen but that we’ll be powerless and overwhelmed by it. Notice in the example above that the mind didn’t stop at “The food supply chain is going to break down.” It went all the way to starvation , which omits any possibility that you’ll be able to find ways to feed yourself or the people you love. But in reality, there are many ways to prepare for or manage a food shortage.
Other examples of catastrophic thinking include:
Bear in mind that CBT is not about tricking yourself into believing that everything is going to go the way you want it to. You don’t have to deny reality or pretend that bad things can’t happen. It’s possible, for example, that there will be major problems with the food supply in the U.S., as some have warned . None of us really knows what the future could bring, so you probably won’t be very successful at convincing yourself that everything is going to work out fine.
The goal of mindfulness-centered CBT is to see your situation as it is . Mindfulness is about opening to the present and experiencing reality, without focusing on the future or denying actual problems. There are enough reasons to be concerned about things that are happening now, without the overlay of runaway thoughts. Mindfulness-centered CBT can also help you remember that you’re not powerless as you confront challenges. (For more CBT practices, see this free guide .)
Letting go of Catastrophizing doesn’t suggest that we shouldn’t prepare for the future as best we can, including for worst-case scenarios. It’s a good idea, for example, to have enough food on hand in case we have to self-quarantine following infection with the coronavirus. But we can recognize these preparations as safeguards against potential problems, rather than being convinced that our fearful fantasies are certain to come true.
When you find you’re fearing a potential catastrophe, follow these steps (adapted from The CBT Deck for Anxiety, Rumination, & Worry ).
If you're interested in working with a CBT therapist, consider searching the online directory on Psychology Today.
Gillihan, S. J. (2020). The CBT Deck for Anxiety, Rumination, & Worry . Eau Claire, WI: PESI.
Gillihan, S. J. (2018). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple . Berkeley, CA: Althea Press.
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Seth J. Gillihan, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and author specializing in mindful cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.