Sometimes, for no apparent reason, a person feels or assumes that “everything is lost.” He is sad and nervous, everything falls out of hand, sleep escapes - but of course, you need to be prepared for a catastrophe at any moment! This behavior reflects the habit of catastrophizing, exaggerating the complexity and danger of situations. Exaggeration, catastrophizing is one of the logical traps of our thinking, leading to increased anxiety. How can you help yourself if you notice similar thoughts and the fears that accompany them? We can argue with disturbing “prophetic” thoughts. For example, we can ask Questions to myself: - why did these thoughts come to my mind? what prompted this assumption? - are there any facts that confirm the correctness of this assumption? what kind of facts are these, how many of them? - do these facts exist in reality, and this can be confirmed, or do they exist only in the imagination? - if something similar happened in my life, then what kind of events were they, and how did they end? ? - What percentage can I estimate the probability that a negative prophecy will come true in the future? (even if there is a lot of percentage, it is no longer 100%, and this means that there are still chances for a favorable outcome) - what is the worst thing that can happen if what you are afraid of happens? Is this really a disaster, or can something be done to improve the situation? - Are there facts and experiences that contradict this assumption? - What plan of action can be thought through taking into account a possible disaster: what will I do if the prophecy comes true, and what What will I do if it doesn’t come true? - How would another person, one of those I know well, think and plan in such a situation? This set of questions will help carry out the so-called “decatastrophization” of our habitual thoughts and set us up for effective interaction with problems. Anxiety is a normal feeling that reflects our knowledge of the difficulties existing in the world. It is advisable to ensure that the alarm retains the function of protection and warning, but this does not limit our activity. For an adult who thinks a lot and is romantically inclined, his own thoughts are a much more serious reality than what surrounds him in the outside world. By and large, fairy tales are literature for adults. Children live in reality. Adults run away from her into a fictional world. And it’s a pity if these fairy-tale worlds are filled with fears and negative assumptions. Where do we get this habit of catastrophizing and predicting a negative future? It is usually based on past experience. Every person has situations in life when he felt helpless and unable to cope with problems. In addition, stories from relatives about their experiences add alarming concerns. Very often, adults intimidate a child in the hope of protecting him from trouble. By losing our sense of proportion, we can influence the fact that a growing person will not muster the courage to make independent decisions. Remember the fairy tale about the wizard of the emerald city? He helped the brave lion to believe in his courage. I reminded him that he was no longer a small and helpless kitten, afraid of any rustle, but an adult and strong, and he could handle a lot. Essentially, Leo's self-criticism was based on his childhood memories. And his fears did not lead to helplessness, but simply warned him that there were dangers in the world, and helped him tune in to fight. So, a person, remembering the dangers, and having accumulated experience in overcoming them, makes a choice every time: whether to fight, enough Do you have the strength to attract someone to help? Our vivid imagination sometimes fails us. To replace the fantasy of imminent disaster with rational, balanced thoughts about possible futures, it is advisable to make a conscious effort. I would call this the “bicycle and pebble principle.” If you are afraid of running over a stone and direct all your attention only to it, the bicycle will obediently run into an obstacle. But if you consciously focus on free!