One way to pull yourself out of a worry spiral

✅ Today’s tip: Use the “catastrophe scale” to put your worries in perspective.

Humans can be dramatic creatures. We spill coffee on our keyboard and suddenly it’s the worst day ever. Our brains often rush into catastrophic thinking, even when what we’re facing isn’t a catastrophe at all.

When you need some immediate perspective, use what the writer Alexander M. Combstrong calls The Catastrophe Scale. You simply come up with a scale that spans from zero to 100 — zero is the most relaxing experience you can think of, and 100 is your greatest hypothetical trauma. (Combstrong’s scale ranges from “watching cricket with my dad” to “losing my dad, job, and house in one swoop.”) Now when you experience day-to-day worries and frustrations, you can rate them on your scale. Your kitchen looks like a disaster right now? Maybe that’s a 5/100. Someone gave your book a bad review? Perhaps that’s a nine. When you start putting ratings on what’s causing you stress, you can see your worries for what they usually are: molehills, and not mountains.

📚 More from Forge on gaining perspective:

Use the ‘Circle of Concern’ to Reframe Your Fears in Uncertain Times
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Use These 3 Words to Kick Negative Self-Talk
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What Would a Happy Person Do?
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