Decatastrophize by following the fear to its logical endpoint

Ask "and then what?" repeatedly until the feared outcome is its actual size, not an imagined worst case.

Why it works

Catastrophizing expands a feared outcome to fill available mental space — the imagined consequence feels total and final. The decatastrophization technique interrupts this by chaining the feared outcome to realistic probabilities and practical consequences: "and then what would happen? And then?" This typically reveals a survivable endpoint rather than the total disaster the initial thought implied, resizing the fear to something manageable.

How to do it

1. Write the feared outcome: "I will fail the presentation."
2. Ask "and then what?" and write the realistic next step: "My boss will be disappointed."
3. Keep asking until you reach a realistic endpoint: "It will be uncomfortable; I’ll need to rebuild credibility over the next few weeks."
4. Rate the actual survivability of that endpoint.

Evidence

Decatastrophizing is a standard CBT technique, grounded in the finding that anxiety tends to overestimate probability and severity of feared outcomes simultaneously. Probability estimation training and logical consequence-chaining are established components of CBT for anxiety. (clinical)

Decatastrophizing is a component technique; it is well established in clinical practice but has limited stand-alone trial evidence separate from CBT packages.

Common mistake

Stopping the "and then what?" chain too early, at a still-catastrophic step ("my career will be ruined"), instead of following it to a concrete, realistic, survivable outcome.