Scale the catastrophe on an actual severity scale

Rate the feared outcome on a 0–10 severity scale, then compare it to things you know are 10/10.

Why it works

Anxiety compresses the severity scale so that a wide range of negative outcomes clusters at the high end. Using an explicit scale forces a relative comparison that can re-expand the range: if losing a client is a 10, where does a difficult conversation sit? Making the comparison explicit reveals that most daily threats are much lower on the scale than they felt in the moment.

How to do it

1. Rate the feared outcome: "On a scale of 0 (nothing) to 10 (worst imaginable thing), where is this?"
2. Name what a genuine 9 or 10 would be for you specifically.
3. Re-rate the feared outcome in comparison.

Evidence

Subjective units of distress (SUDS) scales and severity ratings are standard tools in CBT and exposure therapy, with clinical use supported by the overall evidence base for those treatments. (clinical)

The severity-scale step is a clinical tool typically used within a broader protocol; its isolated use as a decatastrophizing intervention has less direct evidence.

Common mistake

Rating everything as 8 or 9 because anxiety makes the current threat feel maximally severe — the comparative step (naming an actual 10) is what provides the recalibration.