CATASTROPHIZING?

Catastrophizing is defined as assuming the worst will happen or to view a situation as considerably worse than it is. This term is often used with people with chronic pain and in my case, migraine. Personally, I found it confusing and difficult to relate to. If I sense the early signs of an attack, is it catastrophizing to think that I may have an attack?  Sure there were times when I would get the initial symptoms of a migraine and think, oh no!   There were definitely times when I thought things were going to be worse than they were but as I started to work at brain retraining, I soon learned that catastrophizing was not the main predictive issue for me. 

Niggly thoughts.  Those little fleeting, sometimes barely perceptible thoughts  -  ‘did I eat too much’, ‘did I wait too long between meals’ ‘did I have peanut butter and gluten today’ ‘I didn’t sleep well’, ‘that smell was strong’ ‘is that a storm coming’ - are the real challenge I face.  

As I started paying attention, I became aware of patterns. Food and weather were common sneaky little thoughts for me. My nigglers are directly related to my presumed ‘triggers’. Over time I have learned to catch and then challenge or at least offer a counter comment to my nigglers.  “Is that storm clouds?” becomes “there are clouds’ “I love a good thunderstorm’ or even it is only clouds and a pressure change is okay.  I am safe.