Shun Catastrophising

Dixya Poudel

You step out of the house and a million things could go wrong. The traffic could get quite congested. You could lose track of directions if you are headed some place new. You might have to navigate a crowd, delaying your appointment. The scenarios could turn into a nightmare. Or, things might go according to your plans. 

The stars and planets may align to turn your plans into reality. Events can either turn against your expectations or they can also go as per your plans. It is the fear of the former that leads to catastrophising.     

Catastrophising occurs when you think negatively over future events. It is a result of incessant worries and overthinking that spirals into fear of the future events. 

And fear tends to manifest in bodily systems as the stressed individual gets anxious thoughts, palpitations, rapid breathing and tense muscles. Catastrophising makes it difficult to make plans and fulfill them. However, there are steps you can follow to reduce it. According to Chhabi Adhikari, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) specialist, you can turn to positive imaginations instead. Stepping outside of comfort zone can present a multitude of possible outcomes. Instead of fearing what could go contrary to your expectations, try to imagine positive outcomes. 

It helps greatly to focus on the optimistic outcomes. The world is full of opportunities and not leaping out of your comfort zone can hamper your potential. For example, you may fear travelling to new places because you are socially anxious and imagine a plethora of negative outcomes. To tackle this, you could instead imagine good things such as making new friends and sight-seeing beautiful scenery. 

The gist is that you can visualise things going according to your plans, and if the situation does go awry, you can learn lessons from it and face similar situations with self-assurance in the future.  

Psychology Today defines NLP as ‘a set of principles and techniques aimed at enhancing self-awareness, increasing confidence, building communication skills, and motivating positive social actions.’ NLP works to change the thinking and belief patterns of a person. It can help obsessive thinking, overthinking, anxiety, phobias, depression, addiction, etc. The emphasis here is to plant in new positive beliefs in place of the old and outdated beliefs.  

Initially created by John Grinder and Richard Bandler in the 1970s, NLP is increasingly used by life coaches who use its techniques to boost self-esteem in people with inferiority complex. However, it can also be used in successful people who want a better perspective and outlook to life. 

As such, athletes, professionals and students can greatly benefit from the many advantages of NLP. NLP is a growing field in Nepal and Adhikari is quite optimistic about its future in Nepal which has lately seen a surge in mental health problems. 

In conclusion, during difficult and adverse scenarios, ask yourself: What if? For example, what could happen if you stepped out of your comfort zone? What could go wrong? And then do it anyway. Do it despite the fear and anxiety. Do it despite the negative self-talk which creates false realities. You can change your outlook to life with the belief that you can tackle any troubles, even if the circumstances go wrong. Trust in your abilities to face adversities.