Embrace the grays

catastrophizing - n., An over-reaction to a setback or when things aren't going well; a habit in which one interprets every little setback as a calamity

Pscychologist Larina Kase tells Andrea Kay, in her At Work newspaper column, that catastrophizing is a product of "all-or-none thinking." Kase explains, "People see things as either wonderful or disastrous and neglect to look at all the gray areas in the middle."

To change all-or-none thinking, Kase recommends drawing a line on a piece of paper. On one end write the worst scenario of the problem you're grappling with. On the other end, write the best-case scenario. Then write down all the other things that could happen in the middle.

Make a plan for the worst-case scenario - what you would do if it happens and what you could learn from it too. Then ask others what skills you can develop to increase the likelihood that the worst-case scenario will not happen.