{"id":139667,"date":"2025-01-10T16:37:57","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T20:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=139667"},"modified":"2025-01-17T16:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:50:14","slug":"how-to-not-catastrophize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever found yourself turning minor setbacks into major catastrophes? Do you wish you knew how to maintain perspective when facing life’s challenges?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oliver Burkeman offers strategies on how to not catastrophize and presents a refreshing approach to managing anxiety and perfectionism. His insights can help you transform overwhelming situations into manageable challenges through simple mindset shifts and actionable steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover how to stop magnifying problems and free yourself from people-pleasing tendencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Stop Magnifying Situations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Burkeman explains that our anxiety and desire to achieve perfection often cause us to make our goals, problems, and barriers seem bigger than they are. This only exacerbates negative emotions like stress and discourages us from moving forward. To learn how to not catastrophize, Burkeman makes three recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, rather than viewing your goals as big and requiring massive motivation to accomplish, pretend that they\u2019re easy.<\/strong> Taking this perspective can help you feel less overwhelmed and make the goal feel more manageable\u2014especially if you also break the goal down into smaller tasks, a strategy we discussed earlier. Further, imagining that your goals are easy will help you avoid making them unnecessarily complicated\u2014for example, by thinking you need a laptop or a certain program to write your book when you could make do with your notes app or a pen and paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: To change your mindset<\/a> and start believing your goals are easy, consider using transformational language<\/em> to talk about them. In Awaken the Giant Within<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Tony Robbins explains that transformational language\u2014positive and encouraging words and phrases\u2014promotes empowering thoughts and behaviors. In other words, changing how you talk<\/em> about your goals can change how you think <\/em>about them, as Burkeman recommends. For example, don\u2019t just pretend that your goals are easy, but verbally tell <\/em>yourself that they are. Further, you can refer to difficult tasks as \u201cambitious\u201d rather than \u201chard,\u201d and when you face challenges, refer to them as \u201cpuzzles\u201d rather than \u201csetbacks.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, stop trying to control other people\u2019s emotions<\/strong>. We often tailor our decisions to avoid causing negative feelings for others\u2014even if the path they\u2019d choose for us isn\u2019t in our best interest. But Burkeman explains that you\u2019ll never be able to control others\u2019 feelings, so you shouldn\u2019t use your desire to please them as a basis for decision-making<\/a>. Instead, Burkeman recommends taking others’ feelings into account, but ultimately making decisions based on what\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Overcoming people-pleasing behaviors can be difficult, especially if it\u2019s a long-standing habit. To help conquer this, psychologists offer a few tips<\/a>. First, spend time alone and pay attention to your inner voice<\/a> so you can pinpoint what you truly want and differentiate it from what others might be trying to influence you to do. Further, practice being assertive\u2014if someone\u2019s negative attitude or behavior is making it hard for you to do what\u2019s best for you, express that to them.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Burkeman says that rather than obsessing about creating perfect work, you should focus on <\/strong>consistently<\/em><\/strong> producing work\u2014even if it\u2019s flawed<\/strong>. If you wait to have a brilliant idea before getting to work, you\u2019ll likely be waiting a while before you produce anything. In contrast, if you push through the desire for perfection and produce work anyway, you\u2019ll make a lot more progress toward your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In The Artist\u2019s Way<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Julia Cameron reiterates that regularly producing work is more important than making that work perfect<\/a>, adding that the more work you produce, the closer you\u2019ll get to producing something brilliant. You can get more comfortable with this practice by identifying what\u2019s \u201cgood enough\u201d for you, and striving for that instead of for perfection. For example, a perfectionist might want to write the final draft of a chapter on the first try, but good enough might look like writing the chapter, even if it\u2019s bad, and editing it later on.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever found yourself turning minor setbacks into major catastrophes? Do you wish you knew how to maintain perspective when facing life’s challenges? Oliver Burkeman offers strategies on how to not catastrophize and presents a refreshing approach to managing anxiety and perfectionism. His insights can help you transform overwhelming situations into manageable challenges through simple mindset shifts and actionable steps. Discover how to stop magnifying problems and free yourself from people-pleasing tendencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":139911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,43],"tags":[1722],"class_list":["post-139667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-meditations-for-mortals","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1456\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"816\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Doll\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Doll\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937\"},\"headline\":\"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\"},\"wordCount\":671,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Meditations for Mortals\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Psychology\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\",\"name\":\"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp\",\"width\":1456,\"height\":816,\"caption\":\"A man holding his head and trying not to catastrophize\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937\",\"name\":\"Katie Doll\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Katie Doll\"},\"description\":\"Somehow, Katie was able to pull off her childhood dream of creating a career around books after graduating with a degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her preferred genre of books has changed drastically over the years, from fantasy\/dystopian young-adult to moving novels and non-fiction books on the human experience. Katie especially enjoys reading and writing about all things television, good and bad.\",\"knowsAbout\":[\"Bachelor of Arts in English With a Concentration in Creative Writing\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/katie\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems - Shortform Books","description":"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems","og_description":"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1456,"height":816,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Katie Doll","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Katie Doll","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/"},"author":{"name":"Katie Doll","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937"},"headline":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems","datePublished":"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/"},"wordCount":671,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","keywords":["Meditations for Mortals"],"articleSection":["Psychology","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/","name":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","datePublished":"2025-01-10T20:37:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-17T20:50:14+00:00","description":"Magnifying problems only makes it harder to solve them. Discover how to not catastrophize so you can take control of your thoughts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","width":1456,"height":816,"caption":"A man holding his head and trying not to catastrophize"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-not-catastrophize\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Not Catastrophize: Stop Magnifying Problems"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c3e1b539e89423b544ede91ab2bff937","name":"Katie Doll","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239731a3fc739640b80be30f2b1727a055d3535d0ee4569e8282faa323e47fc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Katie Doll"},"description":"Somehow, Katie was able to pull off her childhood dream of creating a career around books after graduating with a degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. Her preferred genre of books has changed drastically over the years, from fantasy\/dystopian young-adult to moving novels and non-fiction books on the human experience. Katie especially enjoys reading and writing about all things television, good and bad.","knowsAbout":["Bachelor of Arts in English With a Concentration in Creative Writing"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/katie\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/man-catastrophizing.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139667"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139888,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139667\/revisions\/139888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}