Reframing thoughts
- Philip Brophy
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
Taming the beast • 3 min read
In a 1978 study, researchers John Chaves and Judith Brown asked dental patients to track the thoughts that popped into their heads during a stressful procedure.
They found that patients who experienced negative thoughts suffered higher levels of pain and stress, than those who did not.
They came to the conclusion that when we buy into our own stories, and dwell on them when there is no actual threat present, we create our own suffering.
Introduction
We last looked at how we can catastrophise, assuming the worst of situations as a form of control and self-preservation, finding relief when things turn out to be not that bad.
This greatly increases anxiety and stress levels. We’ll now look at some more counter-catastrophising ways to approach tasks with a more positive mindset.
Positive framing in practice
Try to self-soothe
When we’re rewarded with reassurance from external sources, we get a momentary hit of relief…until next time that is. And every time we get reassurance, we realise that it’s a resource that we can easily get.
It then becomes a well-entrenched habit. We just can’t resist the urge to double-check we’re not the only ones to experience the same problem — has anyone else “come through” the same issue? Is it all going to be ok?!
However, there’s always another opinion to be gained, and after the first hit of reassurance, we can quickly feel anxious again.
Try this: Whenever you feel the catastrophising thoughts kick in, resist running to others for reassurance.
It’s of course no problem to go to others for advice, but try to resist doing it straight away.
You’ll find that the bigger the gap you leave between feeling the urge and acting upon it, the less you’ll feel the need to run to others.
Collect and assess your data
Catastrophising is based on fear, rather than facts. Ask yourself — Is your fear-mongering based on reality?
To truly rid ourselves of catastrophizing tendencies, confidence is key, and this comes with experience. This means collecting evidence which shows that we belong.
With every work win, we grow more confident about the next one. And when we feel anxious next-time around, we can remind ourselves of our successful data points to make it through.
Key takeaways
When your mind goes to dark places and you instead need reassurance, remember it will only be a temporary hit and you’ll likely go running back for more. Instead, try to self-soothe.
What advice would you offer a friend with a similar issue? Direct your compassionate response towards yourself. The key is to not say anything you wouldn't say to someone else.
When we remind ourselves of our past wins, this can help us to reframe our negative thoughts into a more positive reality — making us pause in our tracks to ask ourselves, “Is this hyper-anxiety really based on reality?” More often than not, it’s not.
Think big. act small
Next time you desperately need reassurance, set an interval of time for yourself before you act. Start small to gradually build up levels of self-control.
You’ll find you can wait longer over time and it will become more likely that you’ll no longer need the reassurance of others.
Content sources
Forbes, 2022, Greg Orme, Three Ways To Tame Perfectionism
The Guardian, 2017, Linda Blair, How to stop catastrophising – an expert’s guide
Harvard Business Review, 2021, Kelsey Alpaio and Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar, 5 Terms to Help You Manage Your Mental Health
Harvard Business Review, 2020, Meg Jay, What to Do When Your Mind (Always) Dwells on the Worst-Case Scenario HBR
Headspace.com, Robin Galante, ‘4 things to remember the next time you’re spiraling’
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