DEAR DOCTOR : WHY DO I CATASTROPHISE SO MUCH AND HOW DO I STOP?

Catastrophe-filled thoughts are common, especially for people prone to anxiety. You might find yourself imagining that your first day at a new job will be an excruciating disaster, that you'll flunk an upcoming exam, or that your flight to New York will crash. These thoughts are unpleasant, but they're essentially your mind working overtime to keep you safe. If you start to act on these catastrophic thoughts, trying to avoid any risk in your life, that's when this thinking style can start to become debilitating.

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It's easy to see why we evolved to experience anxiety. If our ancestors had rushed head-first into every situation, they probably wouldn't have survived very long. Anxiety is your brain's way of saying, "Hang on a minute, are you sure this is safe?".

Most experts agree that a modest degree of anxiety and anticipation of potential negative consequences is normal and helpful. It can become problematic, however, when it gets out of hand, and when your predictions become overwhelmingly negative, which is what's happening when you catastrophise habitually.