You will be interviewing for a job tomorrow. Some people think about what questions they will be asked so that they can prepare, while others think about the interview and how it will go.
For others, the thought of an interview will make them think of every worst case scenario they can imagine. You are more prone to catastrophizing if you do the latter.
Even if you have evidence that this is not the most likely outcome, Catastrophizing is still a tendency. People who are tolerant of uncertainty are more likely to catastrophize. The link between anxiety and frequent catastrophizing suggests that it may be a factor in developing mental health problems.
By imagining what might go wrong, we can protect ourselves from harm. It's only helpful if you can correctly predict what will happen in a certain situation and how it will make you feel.
We use an emotional reaction to the story we are creating to figure out how we will feel in the future. This way of predicting the future is wrong because we can't imagine everything that will happen.
The wrong emotional response for future situations can be created by this.
Our beliefs in what will happen in the future can affect our behavior. People who think about the future in a positive way are more likely to try new things.
What has gone well in new situations is likely to be noticed by them. People who think things will go wrong are less likely to try new things. They are more likely to notice what went wrong when they try a new thing. The reasons why we shouldn't try new things in the future will be added to their memory.
Catastrophizing can lead to stress and anxiety and can stop you from doing the things you enjoy.
There are a few things that you can do to help someone who is stressed out.
This is the first thing. Decision making in the morning.
At night, we tend to worry about the future. The rational part of our brain is less active when we are asleep. Our emotional brain tends to picture the future when we're awake. Lack of sleep makes us more sensitive to threats. This can make us more prone to catastrophizing if we focus more on what may go wrong.
It's a good idea to remind yourself that you're not thinking rationally when you're sleeping. It's a good idea to wait until the morning to make decisions when you're sleepy.
There are two Your critic should be more compassionate.
Our inner critic can make us emotional by using harsh language.
Try to imagine yourself as if you were looking through someone else's eyes. If you were talking about someone else in the same situation, what language would you use? Does the language your critic uses help or hurt?
When you're worried or stressed, be aware of what your inner critic is saying. Try to speak to yourself in a way that isn't too harsh.
There are three. It's better to make a better story.
Even if things have gone wrong in the past, this isn't likely to happen in the future. If you want to feel less anxious, try to think about ways in which this event might go well, rather than thinking about future events.
There are a number of plausible stories about what could happen. The stories you're telling yourself are just that. It might be a good idea to focus on the stories with a positive outcome.
There are four. Don't be mean to yourself.
When thinking about your future, try to be more compassionate with yourself. It is not easy for people who are very compassionate and compassionate to do this.
We were able to interact well with others thanks to compassion and empathy. It's not designed to be used for yourself. Asking what advice you might give a friend in your situation can be helpful.
If you practice this often, you will be able to see solutions to the problem.
Keeping us safe is a purpose that planning for ways in which things might go wrong serves. It's important to remind yourself that the things you're worried about may never happen, and if they do, they will probably turn.
The professor of applied neuroscience is from the University of Reading
Under a Creative Commons license, this article is re-posted. The original article is worth a read.