Catastrophizing: How to Stop Making Yourself Anxious & Depressed 

"Catch instead of kick yourself when you fall" I love this.

This reminded me of Chicken Little. You don't have to go through life acting like the sky is falling. It doesn't.

I didn’t realize I was catastrophising. Cognitive distortions are a big one for me. It’s been so freeing being aware of how I can change my thoughts about outcomes. It’s like my ball and chain has been removed.

This is me with respect to medical appointments/tests. It’s difficult to talk yourself into thinking you’ll be OK, no matter the outcome if the outcome is not good. I’d love to battle this horrible mindset 😊

This are definitely my type of thoughts sometimes, but working to change them!

I’ve been paying attention on everything you’re saying in your channel, you’re a angel from heaven. You’re always motivating us exactly when we most needed it!! I’m struggling with depression and anxiety, and you’re right, I’m always expecting the worst in most situations. Thank you for encouraging to think positive and most of all for your kindness and time to make life journey less stressful. Thank you ❤️

Your right sometimes I think catastrophizing is all I think about and unfortunately it causes me to do premature decisions.

I can relate. I do this all the time. I didn’t realize it has to do with “me” and put meaning about me behind it. It makes so much sense now

No matter what happens I will be ok. I refuse to make it mean something negative about me.

I'm 3 minutes in, first time ever watching you and I gotta tell you that I'm so impressed with how confident and at-ease you are. Even without knowing you I can already tell that you're very good at what you do. Eager to keep watching and grateful that this video randomly popped up on my homepage!

I So needed to hear this message -I am always waiting and expecting the worst-thanks for this encouraging message .🙏🏾-I just wonder how I got to this point in my life where I expect the worst constantly, but I’m absolutely trying to change that thinking-thank you again for this message

Many thanks for this upload! Depression is horrible but we can crush it!

Thank you so much for being here and for your help today and with so many things you have helped me with. I applaud you and I am so happy for your time.

Hello, this woman here has helped me a lot on my journey towards healing anxiety. She's a God given gift to us who experience anxiety. Thank you Julia for putting effort in making video and free.

I've been experiencing this every second of my life since I was 9 and now it's about to be really tested. From age 9 to 13 I watched my mom, dad, grandad, brother and uncle die. The hardest was the first, my mom. No matter what I did I couldn't save her. Now I failed my aunt. After mom and dad died, they loved me enough to take me in. I made a promise to take care of her and never put her into a nursing home. Now I'm in my aunts house alone with her in the nursing home. She's in the nursing home because I'm a failure. I was going to join shift society, but I'm to big of a failure to get myself right.

Deliberately spend more time thinking about the best case scenario than you do thinking about the worst.

So so relatable. It’s been a lifelong battle and journey. But what you have provided my and many many others is a light at the end of a dark tunnel. So much love for you Julia. 🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️

Welp, this popped up at the perfect time for me. Thank you so much Julia!

😭😭😭 Thank you for making this video!! I really needed this.

Thank you for giving of yourself! You have helped me to go from being too afraid to get my mail to starting a new Job on Monday!

The fear of looking foolish...can leave you feeling foolish.....also...the thoughts like "I'm going to trip up I'm going to trip up I'm going to trip up...you probably will trip up (in the street) because your not concentrating properly

Love your post Julia,thanks for your input- t’s easy to be miserable in this world. That takes no courage at all. The real test is despite what life may bring can you be happy? It takes courage to live in this world with all it’s ups and downs. It takes courage to be alive fully. It takes courage to live with an open heart. It takes courage to feel and not numb yourself. REMEMBER-The phoenix must burn to Emerge-When I look back at my failings and the courage & resilience it took to just try I’m so glad I did it,as it didn’t set my Limits-Trying no matter how small really does expand your life,your mind,your opportunities. Peeace😋

Stop expecting the worst. Easier said than done. To say it's a practice is a vast understatement.

Excellent Julia. I am finally not beating myself up. Especially when I make mistakes in new endeavors! Can't believe I ever did that. I wouldn't do that to anyone else!

The thing is that those thing always happen regardless of how prepared or how unexpected it is. Life just simply pees on you eternally. It isn't being negative... one sees the writing on the wall. The result is the only thing that matters and only the worst has ever happened.

This is, by far, the best video for me - to view and re-view daily- I must change in order to move ahead.

I was raised to do this. My mom always said to prepare for the worse and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't. It has been hard for me to be excited about things, I have a hard time being spontaneous and I learned my lesson and now, I have to fight this daily.

Much appreciated!

16:31 - I can’t believe I didn’t think of this from this perspective! Practice expecting things going well (instead of the opposite). I appreciate this video

I already know that no matter what happens I will be okay. It's been a long road. I am made of stone.

My dad used to say “prepare for the worst, expect the best” but that just doesn’t work - you either really expect the best - believing a good thing will happen or you believe sth bad will happen and so you’re preparing for the worst. Your behaviour is a manifestation of your beliefs so that saying just shows that deep down the belief is negative. I guess the one situation in which thinking out how to handle a situation that could (only) potentially go wrong, how you would prepare for sth going wrong (but not taking action, just thinking) is when that is used to stop the fear connected to a scenario that makes you feel afraid. That’s the only one situation where this is a healthy behaviour. Like the way you explained Julia. All else is just unnecessary anticipatory anxiety instead of living in the moment and only thinking what to do when sth actually happens.

I swear you are looking into my soul. I’m so very happy I have found your channel. I have learned so much. Thank you!

This is so perfect for me , can’t thank you enough for taking the time to post and teach this. I think this way and this is going to help me put a stop treating myself so badly with out comes that aren’t what I expected as well as avoidance, Hugh one for me. I discovered you off watching elevation church services on emotions and I have subscribed ever since. I’ve watched this video many times and saved it. Thank you for being here to help me get through life.

Here because I'm worried about absolutely everything, and all goes back to a mistake I made a few years ago. It destabilised my life more than I ever could've imagined. Now things are looking bad globally, out of my control, my worries are worsened. The last three years have been hell, who knows what's next.

I get what you're saying about catastrophizing. I like the expression expect the worst hope for the best. I don't particularly care for the wording though, it seems to throw off the point. It should be; Understand that the worst can happen, but plan for the best anyway. The actual outcome will be somewhere in between.

Lady you have made my whole world shift. I got fired for no reason. These women treated me badly , forcing me to quit. If I had stayed it would have been very uncomfortable. You rock lady.

Thanks Julie for your comments. As a caring Mum I have been trying for too long and you are right they are not worthy of me. Thanks for your thoughts.. I realise that maybe my son is but not the daughter-in-law, who yesterday accused me of harming my son and his son, my only grandchild??? she then uninvited me and my husband to our grandsons 2nd birthday party.. At last her true colours have shown and I am now working on myself, not them to clear the anxiety and depression built up over the years.

I see how thoughts can get better and attaching loosely and what we make it mean

Thank you. It's just very nice of you to make your work available online!

Reality means Real plus your liability towards outcome. Very good.

This is so true, and I have felt this way for as long as I can remember, I have started to avoid things now as I feel as though I am wrong ..I need not to expect the worse and change my thoughts . I am exhausted with trying and the harder I have tried the more I feel let down . Now I will attach myself more loosely. I know when I offer help or interest to my family I will be rejected. I am used to this and I am now realising it is not me and I need to carry on offering but accept the rejection .

Hello, Kristina. Thank you sharing your insights with others.

Yeah I perceive most things in my life in this way. Most recently with my relationship. Over the past few months it just got worse and worse while we got further apart and i knew if i didnt do something about it she would eventually pull the plug and she did. I couldnt do anything about it because my whole life i dealt with problems by freezing up or becoming numb that i just let things happen. Now all i can do is let her go and look forward in the most positive way so my future and better self can join my happiness with her.

Thoughts are always a choice - the right expectations can change so much!

So basically no matter the outcome, I will be able to handle it well. A solid sense of self. 👏🏽That's a brain hack 👍🏾 Thank you 🙏🏾

This is me. Less often now, but still working on being free! Thank you for this content!

I can completely understand and relate to this video and everything that's been talked about in this video I feel bad on and off everyday I have bad thoughts I'm always thinking about things iv done things I want to do worrying about everything I plain I got so anxious and have bad depression thank you for this video

I cant be upset if I have 0 or negative expectations. I cant be hurt

No matter what happens I will be okay 💪🏾

You are the greatest!!

this video was so helpful, thank you! i noticed that you started using “humans” rather than “men and women”. Love that!!!

I haven't listened to your beautiful voice in a while, I didn't realize how much I missed you until now. (Ive been subscribed but no notifications until today. )

Thank you

"Feel fear ans do it anyway" is my life motto but my tendency to catastrophize really makes every step a totaly nightmare. I try to push myself but also feel on edge everyday anticipating the worst

So helpful. Thank you.

Story of my life- this video spoke deeply to me and my issues of Anxiety and Catastrophizing-which leads to Procrastination - a viscious cycle.. ousousous

Accentuate the positive eliminate the negative.

Excellent talk. Love how you relay the information to your followers. Thank you for Shari your knowledge in such a care free way. Diana

Purchased the Self Trust Guide- will print it out- Thanks!

Thank you for this wonderful presentation. It’s a long road but a worthwhile one and you inspire. I am starting to think that embracing uncertainty is a common thread in so many of your videos.Thanks again.

Thank you❤

Love your tips it calmed my anxiety down just listening to the information and what you said in the end expecting the outcome to well.im going to keep that thought with me especially just started a new job

Julia, this is Bob from Norwalk, hello to you, yes, we must inventory our thoughts.

Hello everyone! Glad to be here! I was recommended to you my a leader of an Al-Anon support group :)

Avoidance, huge , afraid , petrified. And then what I would make it mean and how mean I was to myself, sel fulfilling proficiency

Hello everyone I don't comment very often or watched many of these video s only certain videos focused on anxiety and depression because that's what I suffer from I hope to feel comfortable here in the comments I like to meet and talk to people who go though the same things as me this channel is,very helpful andxhood videos I have followed this channel for a while your advice and help is much appreciated Kristina 🙂

Thank you Julia. Grazie! God bless you

Your subject is always perfect💞 Thank you!

Hello thanks for sharing this information. Nice job

Time 7:57. Yes.

i was afraid of how i would treat myself if i failed... that hit deeply

Sometimes things do go the way we expect them to go.

Superb Julia I cannot get enough of you Thank you so much 💓

Wow!!! This is what ive been doing to my self. I've quit going places i used to enjoy going to. Because i expect to be disappointed. I dont open my mail for fear of bad news. This was, now and then, but lately every day. I need HELP!

thank you for this! this came up for me when I needed it! This is the second time your content has shown up for me when I needed it :)

After getting my divorce and my kids choosing to move with a narcissist, I’ve had to reclaim my life and change my thought process in perspective

I want to remember......Changing what we make things mean....practice expecting things to go well...trusting you will be okay no matter what happens

Your videos are always very helpful...

So well spoken. Thank you so much !!!!

Back again! We always look for you💖

I struggle with castrophizing (sorry I can't spell it!) And fortune telling (no pun intended). Distorted thinking was something I worked briefly on in therapy in my early 30s. I struggle with it from time to time as a 36 year old but I am working on it with my BetterHelp therapist. One thing I'm terrified of is bugging people if I call them especially businesses and professionals like doctors and accountants etc. I'm always afraid that I'm bugging them and so I go without calling and say "I'll call tomorrow". My therapist wants me to reach out to someone he recommended me to me that could help me with social media marketing for my business but I'm like intimidated to call him.

I found it, the guide!

I share a lot of videos of yours. This one I am commenting on because I was watching “therapy in a nutshell” & she spoke of how happiness/self help can backfire for Americans as eastern most cultures focus on happiness as a group idea. Like not just helping themselves in a way and she was particular on how she meant it. So please watch her video channel is “therapy in a nutshell” if you want equally yet unique experience that you can learn from & apply to your life. So I’m the video I watched before Julia’s she said “do something small for someone else” “write a nice note it doesn’t have to cost money or be expensive” “review a business you like”! So I’m saying to Julia: I am sharing this video to my 58 year old Mother who doesn’t see her worth and has since divorcing my father 7 years ago spent the majority of her 50’s with her HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND she dated for 3 years and broke up with for the same sh*t he is doing at age 61 grown man. She needs to (my Mom) start expecting that yes she can meet a man who will treat her right and LOVE HER FOR HER. DESPITE KNOWING I CAN NOT CHANGE MY MOTHER I lightly suggest videos for her not just therapeutic in nature, but others that will take her mind off her broken hearts. I say hearts because of her abusive upbringing and her little girl’s heart that did not receive healing since she was a child/young adult. And I know my Mom didn’t recover from the divorce at all! And I also have catastrophic tendencies too! I don’t blame my beautiful Mom, I understand it’s due to years of ancestral abuse and pain. I have faith she will see what she needs to see to move on because love will find her. Love should not be 3 break ups in 7-8 years. If she reads my comment she’ll be upset at me because “great now. Everyone is thinking…….” WHICH IS the entire point of sharing this amazing video with her. Thank you Julia , always love your videos. I don’t binge Netflix but I binge therapists videos & still looking for ur book on audible I don’t think I’ve found it yet there. May need to download a diff platform which is okay. -C

I never held a party or gathering. My job has put me being alone all the time. I have no friends or family, or a girlfriend. No pets or hobbies. I gave up trying along time ago. Nice to hear you talk. I don't expect things cuz i don't even try anymore. I get laughed at im 53 and I'm not like people my age.never been married no kids,no big job or career no money.so I just sit alone in my apt.

This is like a dark cloud over me. I'm always expecting something really bad is going to happen and it's robbing me of my joy in life, help!

Thank you for every single word 🙏🏻

So needed this video! Not attached to the outcome! How come I always forget this? Practice, practice, practice.. gotta make new brain 🧠 pathways.. neurotransmitters!

When we anticipate a circumstance that we don’t know the outcome of, we expect it go badly. We assume that something is going to wrong. Or that they’re going to go terribly. There is a difference between expecting things to not go the way you want them to, and expecting them to go terribly. This isn’t just about thinking positive, or unrealistic thinking. Optional thoughts, optional perspectives. We don’t realize that when given a choice, we don’t realize that assuming that things are going to go badly is a choice. Expecting things to go badly, is holding us back. It doesn’t matter what the situation and circumstance is. Expecting things to go badly, makes you feel terrible. And you will feel bad in the situation. And if you think something is going to terribly. That will affect what happens in the experience involving you. How you respond to the situation. You’re going to be distracted with those thoughts and not able to give a good presentation. Expecting things to go bad. Not likely to do as well. It’s not gonna go well, and then you will use that as proof that nothing ever goes right. Or that things usually go badly. Anticipating tension, problems, fights, causes stress and changes how the situation goes. Feeling guarded defensive ect... creates tension. It’s gonna seem like you have no control over it and you’ll use that as proof. It’s more likely to happen. Are these ways that you think? Do you call these thoughts realistic and preparing for the worst? There is a different between preparing for the worst, and expecting the worst. If I prepare for the worst then I have a plan and if something goes wrong I’ll know what to do about that. Expecting the worst, just leaves you feeling terrible. It’s not even the outcome that we are most afraid of, it’s what we are going to make that outcome mean, and most importantly what we are going to make that outcome mean about us. You can see it’s not a problem, it’s just a situation that has no inherent meaning other than the meaning that we give it. What do you make that mean, when something goes wrong? Why? Does it have to mean that? You don’t have to insist that things have to be a certain way in order to be okay. You can go into things knowing it could go this way or that way, but understanding that you are in charge of what you make that outcome mean.

I always think whenever I faced with the situation I keep on thinking that I am safe, I am not threatened, and I read affirmation statements on my mindfulness mobile app What's Up? This is how I cope right now. I realize it might be related to ego as I have watched from Julia's videos. PS: As a Bollywood movie 3 Idiots says: All is Well.

Thank you was great”

Really enjoyed your content Good Vibes

Have no expectations

Excellent information! Thanks for helping me adjust my mindset towards the positive!

I'm going to tey this because I'm really spiraling right now and need help! So tired of being scared all the time.

I really needed to hear this today!! Thank you 🙏

Thank you! Shared with my family ❤

This is SO VERY Relevant to me rn 😚👌 awesome topic!

I’m back as always... I am getting so much out of these videos thank you so much for posting and teaching truly I’m getting so much out of this

This was good stuff…. Thanks K

I can really relate to the family gathering setting 🤦🏾‍♀️