Break Free From the Cycle of Worse-Case Scenarios

Does this sound like you? A few days ago, you accidentally cut one of your fingers while slicing lettuce to make a dinner salad. You diligently cleaned and bandaged the cut. Nonetheless, the next day you noticed that the cut was sore, somewhat red and slightly swollen. Your mind immediately jumped to: “It’s infected. The infection will enter my bloodstream, breed sepsis and I’ll have to be hospitalized.” 

Diagnosis: You were catastrophizing, which is when you assume that the worst will happen; you believe your situation is more damaging than it truly is and/or will be; you highly exaggerate the negative outcome of an issue. 

But there’s no need to live with the torment of this condition. The office of New Rochelle Psychiatry Office will eagerly work with you using patience, compassion and a wide range of knowledge. We will help you identify your triggers and help you figure out how to control or even eliminate your tendency to catastrophize. 

Here are two more examples: 

1). Your teenage daughter drove to a friend’s house that’s two hours away. She said she would call you right after she arrived, but it’s 15 minutes passed those two hours, and you haven’t heard from her. She must have been in a horrible accident. 

2). You made a minor mistake at work and assume you’ll be fired because of it. 

There’s a big difference between rationally reigning in your fears and letting your imagination run wild, which sends you into a frenzy. Being trapped in the cycle of fearful thoughts is a tough way to live and break free from. 

In most instances of catastrophizing, someone isn’t afraid of the result, such as getting fired over a mistake at her job. She’s afraid that she won’t be able to cope with the ramifications: She will lose her income, hasn’t much in savings to fall back on, and will end up homeless and helpless. 

The office of New Rochelle Psychiatry Office is devoted to the care and comfort of every patient. We maintain a position at the forefront of advances in care and offer effective solutions. For more information about our practice and the variety of conditions we treat, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You’ll be glad you did.