A–Z Glossary

Catastrophic thinking

Catastrophic thinking is a pattern of predicting worst-case outcomes and treating ordinary uncertainty as evidence of imminent danger.

← Back to A–Z Glossary

Search results for: Catastrophic thinking

Managing anxiety before speaking in front of the class

Managing anxiety before speaking in front of the class

Understand what the child is experiencing Presentation anxiety is a situational form of nervousness that can occur when a child expects scrutiny, embarrassment, forgetting, or negative evaluation. The brain may interpret standing before a group as a threat, activating sympathetic arousal. This can produce a fast pulse, muscle tension, dry mouth, gastrointestinal discomfort, dizziness, sweating, […]

Why parents feel anxious and common fears

Why parents feel anxious and common fears

Why anxiety is so common in parenting Parenthood places the brain in a state of sustained vigilance. A caregiver is continually scanning for signs of hunger, pain, danger, developmental delay, social exclusion, illness, or emotional distress. This vigilance is adaptive: it helps parents notice a fever, a choking hazard, a depressed mood, or a risky […]

Parental anxiety explained

Parental anxiety explained

What parental anxiety means Parental anxiety is not simply caring deeply. Caring involves attention, planning, and responsiveness. Anxiety becomes more problematic when the nervous system repeatedly interprets ordinary uncertainty as imminent danger. A parent may know rationally that a child is probably safe, yet still feel physiological arousal: rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, gastrointestinal discomfort, insomnia, […]