How the News Fuels Catastrophizing - 3 Ways to Pull Yourself Back from the Edge

Hypnotherapy with Vicky
May 25
3 min read

By Vick | Mental Health Therapist

We live in a world where the news is everywhere — on your phone, your watch, your fridge screen, even playing quietly in the background of your local café. And it’s rarely good. War, disasters, corruption, climate crises, violence, economic collapse — rinse and repeat. This constant exposure doesn’t just inform us; it distorts our perception of safety, stability, and the future. It fuels one of the most common mental traps I see in clients: catastrophizing.

What Is Catastrophizing?

Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion — a habitual way of thinking where we assume the worst-case scenario is not only likely but imminent. Your brain jumps from “I made a mistake at work” to “I’m getting fired and I’ll never find another job,” or from “I have a headache” to “I probably have a brain tumour.” It’s an exhausting, fear-driven pattern that sets off our nervous system and keeps us in a loop of hypervigilance.

How the News Feeds Catastrophizing

Let’s be honest: the media knows that fear sells. “Breaking news” is rarely about breakthroughs in peace treaties or social cohesion. Instead, headlines are crafted to grab attention by triggering our survival instincts. You’re not imagining it — it is designed to provoke an emotional reaction.

Here’s how this contributes to catastrophizing:

Availability Bias: We overestimate the likelihood of events we've been exposed to recently or frequently. Hear about plane crashes three days in a row? Your brain starts treating that as a common risk.
Negativity Bias: Humans naturally pay more attention to negative information than positive. The news plays right into this, reinforcing the belief that the world is dangerous and spiraling out of control.
Emotional Contagion: Constant exposure to fear-driven content keeps your nervous system in a low-grade state of stress — and that makes it much easier to spiral when something goes wrong in your own life.

THREE Grounded Strategies to Break the Catastrophizing Loop

You can’t control the news cycle. But you can control how much power it has over your mental state. Here are three strategies I give my clients when they find themselves spiraling:

1. Name It and Normalize It

The moment you catch your brain saying “What if…” followed by doom, pause. Say to yourself:“Ah, I’m catastrophizing.”

That simple naming helps create distance between you and the thought. Remember: just because your brain says something doesn’t mean it’s true. You’re not broken for having these thoughts — your brain is doing what it thinks it needs to do to keep you safe. But safety doesn't always mean accuracy.

2. Ask Yourself Grounding Questions

When you notice your mind jumping to worst-case scenarios, interrupt it with these:

What evidence do I actually have that this is going to happen?
What are some other possible outcomes that are less extreme?
Have I dealt with tough things before? (Spoiler: yes, you have.)

Shift from “What if everything falls apart?” to “What if I can handle whatever comes?”

3. Control Your Intake

No one benefits from a 24/7 news drip. You wouldn’t drink toxic water just because it’s coming out of your tap — so don’t keep consuming information that’s poisoning your thinking.

Set time boundaries (e.g., no news after 7 PM).
Choose curated sources that give information without sensationalism.
Balance out the fear: make an intentional effort to read or watch something positive, inspiring, or funny.

Final Word

You’re not weak or broken for feeling overwhelmed by the world. In fact, it makes sense that your nervous system gets flooded. But you can learn to recognize when you're being hijacked by catastrophizing, and you can bring yourself back to center.

Your brain might shout that everything is about to collapse — but you don’t have to believe everything you think.

Need help spotting your thought traps?That’s what therapy is for. You don’t have to navigate the noise alone. Get in touch for a free chat