It’s probable that Michael was being sarcastic and it’s probable that I will continue to seek out Michael when I’m catastrophizing because it’s probable he will say something helpful.
It’s probable that I will continue to blog daily because that helps me, too.
It’s probable that I will snap photos and share them with you.
It’s probable that Michael is going to make something delicious for dinner, like those burritos.
I don’t know how probable it is that we’ll get a dog some day because of, you know, the cats.
It’s probable that comedian Pete Holmes is visiting Lexington High School in that scene from his excellent show Crashing (even though I initially thought it was probable that was my son’s high school, instead).
It seems probable, to me, that unless we human beings drastically change our behaviors, the future might look like the movie WALL-E.
It’s probable that my day at work today will be different from WALL-E’s.
It’s probable that some of my readers will comment and it’s more than probable that I’ll express gratitude to all who helped me create this “probable” post and — of course! — to YOU.
Yesterday, as I was preparing for several worst-case scenarios, I noticed this headline in a local newspaper:
I captured that image, preparing for the worst-case scenario of people getting confused, angry, or annoyed that I was inexplicably snapping a photo of a folded newspaper in a busy restaurant, perhaps momentarily inconveniencing people going about their business.
I wanted to photograph that “Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario” headline — despite the worst-case scenario of bothering other people — because I believe that I am not alone in preparing for the worst-case scenario, consciously and unconsciously, every day.
Preparing for the worst-case scenario that the previous paragraph was either confusing or otherwise inadequate, I will now redirect you to many blog posts about the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).
Preparing for the worst-case scenario that nobody will look at those previous posts I’ve written, I shall now prepare a list of my current thoughts and feelings about preparing for the worst-case scenario, as follows:
People who want to sell you something often do so by seemingly preparing you for the worst-case scenario.
Action movies, like the latest Mission Impossible film (which I saw yesterday), are built on worst-case scenarios (e.g., the destruction of the world) being thwarted, at the last possible second, by super human actions performed by people who are much stronger and smarter than anybody I know. My mind then goes to this worst-case scenario: what chance do actual human beings have in averting disaster in real time and real life?
Some reader might chastise me with this: why can’t you just enjoy a great action movie without all this thinking about worst-case scenarios?
It’s difficult to prepare for the worst-case scenario when so many seem possible in the moment. How do we even choose what the worst-case scenario is, from moment to moment and day to day? And then, how do we prepare for it amid all these shifting sands and different opinions out there?
Whenever I listen to or watch the news, I notice people preparing for worst-case scenarios that are often diametrically opposed from each other.
A nation (and world!) so polarized and conflicted is — according to Abraham Lincoln — a worst-case scenario: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Preparing for worst-case scenarios in our daily lives (e.g., my health is declining, my money is running out, I won’t be able to survive this latest loss, I may fail miserably in this venture, people will judge and/or abandon me) may seem to prepare and arm us for difficulties, but it also depletes and sometimes defeats us, even before we’ve tried.
Should I be preparing you for any worst-case scenarios in my other photos from yesterday?
Last night, as I watched the fabulous fireworks celebrating the opening of the new Hancock Adams Park in historic Quincy, Massachusetts, USA, I was preparing myself for the worst-case scenario that I wouldn’t capture any of the wonderful smiley-face fireworks that were a part of the display. Despite preparing for that worst-case scenario, I loved every moment of those fireworks.
So I guess that’s the best I can do, these days: realize that my mind is going to naturally be preparing for the worst-case scenario but also getting as much as I can from every moment I’m still alive.
How are you preparing for the worst-case scenario, these days?
As always, I’m preparing for the worst-case scenario by focusing on gratitude for what I do have. Thanks to all who helped me prepare this worst-case scenario post and — of course! — YOU, from the bottom of my catastrophizing heart.
Here are the details of my other photos from yesterday.
Nothing says fun like this video where it’s all in the details.
It’s all in all the details for comedian Todd Barry, whom my son saw Friday night.
I noticed that some of the details in Todd Barry’s routine are about Chicago. It’s all in the details when you travel and I’m traveling to Chicago with my son in two weekends.
I’m looking forward to all the details in your comments below.
It’s all in the details when you express gratitude, so thanks to everyone who helped me create today’s detailed post and — of course! — to YOU.
Is your mind a blank here and now? If so, will you leave a blank comment?
Even when a card is blank inside ….
… it can still say “Thank You.”
Thanks to all who help me create these posts even when my mind’s a blank and — of course! — to you, for temporarily blanking out everything else to read this blog.
It’s not the end of the world. We know this, because you are reading this blog.
“It’s not the end of the world” is something my parents used to say to me in the 1960s, especially during times when I thought the world was ending.
“It’s not the end of the world” is a phrase I repeat to myself and others, to reduce the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing.
It’s not the end of the world, even when you visit a place called World’s End, which could have been the site of the United Nations or of a nuclear power plant, instead of the park and conservation area it became in 1967.
It’s not the end of the world when your Global Positioning System initially takes you to a neighborhood in a nearby town instead of the real World’s End, especially because there was beauty there, too.
People I love keep telling me to take things with a grain of salt, even though I should be restricting my salt intake.
If you don’t know the meaning of the idiom “a grain of salt,” take this!
“(With) a grain of salt”, (or “a pinch of salt”) is an idiom of the English language, which means to view something with skepticism or not to interpret something literally.
Hypotheses of the phrase’s origin include Pliny the Elder‘s Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe for an antidote to a poison.[2] In the antidote, one of the ingredients was a grain of salt. Threats involving the poison were thus to be taken “with a grain of salt”, and therefore less seriously.
The phrase cum grano salis (“with a grain of salt”) is not what Pliny wrote. It is constructed according to the grammar of modern European languages rather than Classical Latin. Pliny’s actual words were addito salis grano (“after having added a grain of salt”).
An alternative account says that the Roman general Pompey believed he could make himself immune to poison by ingesting small amounts of various poisons, and he took this treatment with a grain of salt to help him swallow the poison. In this version, the salt is not the antidote. It was taken merely to assist in swallowing the poison.
The Latin word salis means both “salt” and “wit”, so that the Latin phrase “cum grano salis” could be translated as both “with a grain of salt” and “with a grain (small amount) of wit”. The phrase is said “with a pinch of salt” in British English and said “with a grain of salt” in American English.
These days, we could all use grains of wit, salt, and other antidotes to poisons.
Lately, I’ve been encouraged to take gloomier forecasts about my rotator cuff injury with grains of salt. Those grains of salt are more helpful than rubbing salt in that wound.
Also, I should have taken yesterday’s forecasts about a “four-easter” in Boston with a grain of salt. I woke up early to find very little snow on the ground, which means fewer grains of salt on the highways and byways today.
Michael, who sometimes tells me to take things with a BIG grain of salt, just said, “I don’t think there’s going to be anything to shovel, baby. If you need any help with your car, wake me up.”
What do you take with a grain (or a pinch) of salt? Any of these photos?
You may take this with a grain of salt, but I think New England ducks have fun in the salt water.
There are at least three “Grain of Salt” songs on YouTube (here, here, and here).
I look forward to the grains of comments about today’s post.
Grainy thanks to all who helped me write today’s salty post and — of course! — to YOU.
That’s something I ask my patients, to invite them to face their fears and to consider how likely it is that those fears will come true.
What’s the worst that could happen to you, here and now?
Is the worst that could happen to you related to
money?
harm coming to somebody you love?
work?
technology?
people in power?
illness?
legal issues?
family?
friends?
strangers?
time?
transportation?
the weather?
sports?
food?
expectations?
language?
the media?
the internet?
local politics?
national politics?
global politics?
natural disasters?
man-made disasters?
fire?
water?
change?
taking risks?
going outside?
staying inside?
accidents?
making mistakes?
misunderstandings?
malice?
something else?
What’s the worst that could happen, at this point, in this post? Would it be my defining “catastrophizing” AGAIN?
Catastrophizing.
This is a particularly extreme and painful form of fortune telling, where we project a situation into a disaster or the worst-case scenario. You might think catastrophizing helps you prepare and protect yourself, but it usually causes needless anxiety and worry.
Would the worst that could happen in this post be seemingly random pictures?
I hope that the worst that could happen to my son today will be his mother posting a picture of him on her blog.
There is no shortage of shorts on my mind, right now, including these:
Last night, I saw the Oscar-nominated movie The Big Short, which (a) was longer than 2 hours, (b) felt short and (c) did NOT fall short of my tall expectations.
I am short, at 5’3″.
During my shorter than usual winter vacation (starting in a short 11 days), I will not be wearing shorts, because I’m traveling a short distance to cold Philadelphia and New York.
A short year ago, there was no shortage of snow in the Boston area (where my short self has lived for all of my expected-to-be-shorter life).
If I come up short when I try out for the TV show “The Voice”in Philadelphia on February 21, I hope my disappointment lasts for a very short time.
If my very short try-out for “The Voice” on 2/21 is successful, I’ll be expected to return within a short time (one to three days) for a call back audition, which may short out my AGPA conference plans.
I’ve had a pain between my short ribs for a short two weeks.
Since my short mind can jump to worst case scenarios in a short amount of time, I’m wondering if that pain could indicate that one of my old cardiac pacemaker wires is shorting out (or otherwise shortly causing problems for short me).
I think there a very short chance my fear about short pacemaker wires shorting out are true, but if that pain doesn’t resolve, I’ll notify one of my short or tall doctors shortly.
When short or tall people don’t get back to me within a reasonably expected short amount of time, I can get short with them.
When people don’t respond to my short requests, it can remind me of when I was a short child, in the hospital, feeling powerless and alone.
I can have a short amount of patience and comfort with my own shortness.
Two of my charging cords for my Apple products and one pair of headphones have frayed wires, which might result in a short.
Before this short day is over, I’ll be meeting with the piano teacher of my no-longer-short son, who will be laying down a short keyboard track for the short and beautiful Todd Rundgren song “Soothe,” which I will shortly take with me for my short “Voice” try-out.
Right now, there is a total shortage of new photos on my iPhone, because yesterday was too short a day for short me to seize any short moments to take any pictures at all.
If you wait a short time, I’ll return with some photos of something short which is a short distance away from your short blogger.
For some reason — which I hope to understand and resolve shortly — my iPhone camera app (CP Pro) now pauses for a short time after I push the button before it takes photos of anything, short or tall, a short or long distance away. That can short out my attempts to capture what I want, in the moment.
If I take a short moment to breathe, I realize a short photographic pause doesn’t prevent my getting good-enough photos of a short cat with short paws.
If you take a short pause to leave a short comment about this post, I’ll get back to you shortly.
Short thanks to short Oscar and all other short or tall creatures who contributed to this not-so-short post. And thanks to you — of course! — for taking whatever time you needed — short or long — to read it.
This is the 1105th consecutive day I’ve posted for this cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-oriented blog, and it’s the first time I’ve ever used the word “Catastrophize” in the title, much less explained how to do it.
Oh no! This is a catastrophe! Horrible things are going to happen!
What horrible things might happen?
My readers will be disappointed!
Some will stop reading this blog in disgust!
People will look up the word “catastrophize” and realize it’s a made-up word!
I will lose all credibility in the elite group of CBT bloggers!
I’ll get lots of angry comments, below!
WordPress will finally look at one of my posts to consider me for “Freshly Pressed,” realize what a failure I am, and put me (or keep me) on a list of “Never Freshly Press this Blog, NO MATTER WHAT!”
My life as a blogger will be over!
Word will get out to the real world, and all my patients will stop seeing me for CBT-oriented therapy!
I’ll get fired from my job!
I’ll become penniless!
All my friends and family will abandon me!
My life will be irrevocably ruined!
This will kill me!
See how it works?
If you want to apply my humble example of catastrophizing, above, to any situation, it helps to
identify all your worst fears,
link them to your current situation,
use the prodigious powers of your imagination, and
don’t hold back!
For some reason, human minds seem to be designed for catastrophizing. So if you start today, soon you’ll be catastrophizing with the best of them!
I’m catastrophizing, now, that if I don’t give you a list of possible side effects of catastrophizing, I might be in big trouble with some powerful people and organizations (whoever they might be). Therefore, I will now tell you that side effects of catastrophizing MIGHT include:
anxiety
depression
increased stress
lower self esteem
sleeplessness
lack of appetite
increase of appetite
exacerbation of physical illnesses
isolation
death.
Hmmm. I wonder what catastrophes my using the word “death” in this blog post will unleash in the blogosphere?
If this blog post helps you become SO good at catastrophizing that you have trouble turning it off (like lots of other people), try these antidotes:
Take a breath.
Tell yourself: “I am safer than it feels.”
Soothe yourself with nature, music, or other things that have helped in the past.
Connect with somebody trustworthy, if possible.
Make sure you’re taking care of yourself by getting enough nourishing food, water, sleep, etc.
Remember you are not alone.
Okay! Let’s see if I have any photos on my iPhone to illustrate “How to Catastrophize.” I know I took very few pictures yesterday, so chances are all those photos are going to suck!
Any potential catastrophes there?
Catastrophizing thanks to all who helped me create this catastrophic post and to you — watch out! — for reading it.
Do you change your life?
