Decatastrophizing Worksheet Overview
Decatastrophizing is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill for the moments when your mind jumps to the worst possible outcome. It comes from cognitive therapy, which psychiatrist Aaron Beck developed. It can help anyone who gets caught in anxious what-if thinking.
This worksheet takes you through a short set of questions about how likely the worry is, what else could happen, and how you would cope. A worked example shows how one person answered them, and you rate your anxiety before and after.
In this worksheet, we’ll:
- Explain what catastrophizing is and how decatastrophizing works
- Walk you through a worked example after a hard day at work
- Give you questions to look at the worst, best, and most likely outcomes
- Provide space to plan how you would cope and find a more balanced view
- Help you rate your anxiety before and after the questions
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Beck, A. T., Emery, G., & Greenberg, R. L. (1985). Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. Basic Books.
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Beck, J. S. (2020). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
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