Notice When You Are Catastrophising Notice that you have chosen to imagine the worst possible outcome from all of the potential consequences. Journaling Keeping a ‘worry list’ is helpful for some people. You might start to notice patterns. Schedule a ‘Worry Time’ Set up a time every day, maybe for 10 minutes, that is dedicated to worrying. Take a note of things you would like to worry about throughout the day and let yourself know you will take time to worry about it later. During your ‘worry time’, go through your list and look for solutions. There may not be a solution, in which case, trying to contain the worry to that time slot. Expanding Possibilities Yes, what you have imagined is ONE possibility. Write at least three other possible outcomes and three possible solutions. Challenge your Anxious Thought What evidence do I have that this thought is true? What evidence do I have that this thought is false? Is there another way that I could see this situation? What is the probability that this anxious thought will happen? What are more likely outcomes? How does worrying about this affect me? How do I feel when I think about one of the alternative thoughts? Circle of Control Write ONE thing that is within your control that you could do to facilitate a better outcome. The Best Friend Test What would you say to your best friend in a similar situation? Mindfulness Research has shown that mindfulness can help reduce catastrophising.