Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm perceived by others as a calm person, good in an emergency as I think clearly and logically and don't panic.
However .... this morning my fitted wardrobe door wouldn't fit.
To give some background, at the end of our garden, in the garden of a neighbour is a very large oak tree.
I've always been concerned that the roots will cause our 1930's house to subside.
So, I was sensible and did a check on the catch, which did look rather out of place.
However, I then went on to get a ladder and check the ceiling edges and walls of my bedroom and the room below and take everything out of the wardrobe to check the walls for signs of subsidence/cracks!
My husband came home, looked at me as though I were mad, and adjusted the catch and now the door shuts.
Doh.
So, is this related to autism, and is it something you do, even if it's just from time to time?
Yes: catastrophising is something that I do - to the extent that when the disaster does not occur, I feel like I have already lived through it.
In my 20's I was more prone to this sort of thinking - imagining the worst options were the most probable and getting anxious about them.
I found on a work training course that they taught about mindfulness ( https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/ ) which turned out to be a game changer for me.
It teaches an analytical view of the problems, your feelings and whatever else is the issue and lets you dissociate a bit to come to a realistic conclusion.
These days I'm much more the one who will look at a situaiton and come up with a solution or assessment in seconds unless I need to look some details up.
It frees up your mind and puts you in a much more positive mood which is a real win when you are autistic.
I've just recently been diagnosed Autistic so am not knowledgeable enough to help on that front but I thought I'd reply as very much related to your post. I remember moving into my house a few years ago then obsessing over cracks in the ceiling, polyfiller out every time I saw one and each time I thought that meant the house was falling apart, the ceiling would fall down.
The only way I got over it (very slowly) was observing it, seeing nothing bad happened over time and learning from friends who know about this stuff why it happens. Rationalising it didn't work instantly but did quite a bit over time.
This tends to be the best way for me to reduce catastrophising about stuff - it's my tendency to find something new to fixate on but I have those tools to chip away at it.
I don't think it's exclusive to autism but it's definitely related due to our tendency towards anxiety and rumination. I do it too, though to be fair I also have an anxiety disorder- it's hard to tell which is which with this particular trait!
100%. Historically if a negative conclusion in any situation is possible then that is the one i will opt for, no matter what. My constant worrying voice in my head looks for reason to stress and panic.
You are so not alone!