ADHD and Catastrophizing: Why Your Brain Jumps to Worst-Case Scenarios

Let me give you just one example of many scenarios where this can start. I get a text from a client’s parent asking how I am doing today and whether they can set up a meeting to discuss their young adult. Pretty straightforward and non-threatening, right?

Why then is my first thought, “Uh oh, they must be unhappy with my service.” The sessions have been going well, and we are staying on top of her assignments. And yet, my anxious brain started ruminating on the worst-case scenario, such as them being unhappy and maybe even wanting to discontinue coaching services. I was thinking about all the past meetings and where I might have dropped a ball. I didn’t want to schedule a quick meeting until I had run through all the possible reasons and had an answer for each possible concern they might have. 

Eventually, we got a meeting scheduled, and they just wanted to check in and ask what else, as parents, they could be doing to support their young adult in college. So why did my brain make that huge leap to the negative conclusion without considering anything else?

That would be due to my old “partner”, catastrophizing. What is catastrophizing? In the field of psychology, it’s called a cognitive distortion: assuming the worst-case scenario or exaggerating the importance of minor mistakes.

Why We Do This

Sometimes, assuming the worst can serve to protect me from rejection or betrayal. If I start off expecting the worst, I feel somewhat less hurt when it does actually happen. 

Other times, catastrophizing is rehearsing in advance what I might do to reduce the level of the catastrophe. I think of it as preparing for all kinds of outcomes by rehearsing all possible scenarios. 

I also know my fast-thinking brain is not interested in slowing down to consider all the moving parts and analyze every possible reason, when I can quickly jump right to my usual way of operating: assuming the worst. I also struggle with ruminating, which is a cycle of negative self-talk and replaying the same fearful thoughts and feelings over and over again. This has been a long-term pattern of behavior for me, dating back to elementary school. 

I also know how detrimental this catastrophizing is to my well-being. My anxiety starts to skyrocket, and if I don’t nip it in the bud, it can ruin the rest of my day and my ability to get refreshing sleep. 

How CBT Helps Create Space

This is where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be effective. CBT can help me question anxious thought errors, such as catastrophic thinking, and replace them with more logical assumptions. CBT trains my brain that my thoughts are not necessarily facts and instead are events that can be examined. 

So, how might I start creating some distance from my usual loops of ruminating and catastrophizing and into a space that better supports me? CBT helps my fast brain slow down and analyze the situation by asking some questions. 

Questions That Slow the Spiral

• What is the real evidence for my assumption? Is it true?

• Could there be other reasonable explanations?

• Has a situation like this happened previously? Was it a catastrophe? 

Simple Ways to Interrupt the Pattern

Here are some possible action steps to create a pause and challenge my usual thought errors. 

• When I notice my usual assumption forming, I can label it as an assumption. So instead of thinking “what if they are angry with me?” I would instead think, “I’m assuming they might be angry with me.” This allows me to step back from my usual pattern and create some space from my thoughts instead of getting pulled into them.
• I could have asked for more information from the parents. A simple ask to be better prepared for our meeting would not have been difficult, and I’m sure the parents would have been happy to give some specifics. That could have prevented my spiraling thoughts.
• Instead of my fast brain jumping to the worst-case scenario, I could have slowed things down and looked for evidence that would contradict that hair-trigger assumption. This is where my character strength of curiosity would kick in, prompting me to ask questions about what information is missing. 

Small Shifts, Meaningful Change

Slowing down and questioning an assumption is difficult for me because it’s deeply ingrained from early childhood. But being able to take a breath and pause to examine my assumptions has gone a long way to changing a habitual reaction. And that is saving me from a lot of rigid thinking patterns and unnecessary anxiety. 

I can also say this process leads to less procrastination, avoidance, and rumination, which has been incredibly satisfying to my overall emotional health. Progress can take time, self-compassion, and patience, but it is possible to take back control over negative thinking patterns and have more balance in life. And don’t forget that having a healthy lifestyle can go a long way towards significantly impacting emotional well-being and strong cognitive functioning. That means regular exercising and movement, sufficient sleep, and stress management techniques are imperative to a strong foundation. 

If this pattern feels familiar, you don’t have to keep navigating it alone. ADHD coaching can help you understand your thinking patterns and build tools that actually work for your brain.

Start with a free Get-Acquainted Session with one of our coaches to explore what support could look like for you.