Catastorphize with me

[earlgreyhot]

A psychologist told me that catastrophizing is anxiety-relieving technique so:

Trump Wins and...

The stock markets begin to wobble, lots of ups and downs. 
Russia starts to poke us via Syria setting the stage for a major conflict in the next few months.
China will be standing back making sure they get out ahead and will fast tracked to the status of new superpower.

They'll be rioting in bigger cities to push back against the "Law and Order" rhetoric. 

Trump will continue to exploit 'truthiness" among his supporters. He'll be able to make them believe they are better off and it will take them a long time to realize the carpet is being pulled out from under them. The wealthy will become even more isolated so the working class won't be able to witness how better off they are becoming.

Silver Linings:
The vox calculator earlier this year says we'll get a $30k tax break under his tax plan. 

Personally we are moving to London no matter the outcome (or we better!)...because DH's company has been shifting to a global market for awhile with the western HQ to be London instead of NY. A Trump America will certainly shift things in that way a lot faster.  

[eclaires]

NUCLEAR WINTER
BURNING CONSTITUTION
LACK OF FUNDING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
MH LOSES HIS JOB
WE MOVE TO CANADA
ITS REALLY COLD
NO TARGET WRAPPING PAPER AISLE FOR THERAPY

I don't feel better.

[earlgreyhot]

Nov 4, 2016 8:19:58 GMT -5 eclaires said:

NUCLEAR WINTER
BURNING CONSTITUTION
LACK OF FUNDING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
MH LOSES HIS JOB
WE MOVE TO CANADA
ITS REALLY COLD
NO TARGET WRAPPING PAPER AISLE FOR THERAPY

I don't feel better.

Well...you'll need a new winter weather wardrobe? HA makes some very cute coats for the whole family.
Canadians are really nice? 

[penguingrrl]

Internment camps for Muslim citizens.
Many more black citizens murdered by militarized police forces
Further unrest in the Middle East
More attacks on US soil
Jailing citizens who openly disagree with Trump
Russia uses Trump to weaken NATO and Russia begins annexing various Eastern European countries

And seriously, I believe these are likely, not just worst case

[bernsteincat]

Not coming in this thread again.

[eclaires]

The US becomes Russia in that we are the bad guys and Trump uses our military for bad shit.

I'm not coming back!

[wambam]

Nov 4, 2016 8:35:39 GMT -5 @meepmeep said:

I legitimately believe we will be involved in worldwide armed conflicts that our military can't sustain or win, abandoned by all of our historic allies including Europe, within a year or two of Trump taking control. Domestically, I think there will be an escalation of violence toward and killing of minorities with no justice. That doesn't even cover the economic free-fall I think we will see, with no safety net beneath it. I truly believe he is an existential threat to the livelihoods and lives of the vast majority of American citizens.

This. I think he'll piss off a volatile world leader and we'll be in a conflict within two years, maybe even nuclear. 

[CheeringCharm]

Is this supposed to be making us feel better? IF SO IT'S NOT WORKING!

I really don't think he's going to win though. The electoral math still favors Hillary and we also have the early voters (who would have thought we'd be thanking god for early voting and the electoral college?!).

[mbcdefg]

[mdgirl]

My husband will refuse to visit my family in rural Michigan because he's brown and would be worried for his personal safety. He's already told me this.

[bellejar]

Canadian ketchup is the worst. I don't like this thread.

[litebright]

He will bankrupt the country like he's done to his own companies, over and over. He'll insist on that goddamn wall and cut education, research, the EPA, the IRS, disability payments and any and every government agency to pay for it. Hundreds of thousands of families with government jobs will lose them. He may go ahead with his massive infrastructure spending program, but Congress won't raise the debt ceiling when he needs them to and he will either make catastrophic cuts or we will go in default and see another world wide financial panic.

He will institute shadow campaigns, fear and intimidation and physical threats toward journalists who have treated him "badly" during the campaign. Russia and China will pounce on the opening to expand their influence, a world war will likely begin, fueled by Russia, and we won't stand with Europe because Trump will abandon treaties. We'll be isolationist and watch in horror as things devolve in the former Soviet republics and the iron curtain goes back up under Putin. ISIS and other Muslim extremist groups feel emboldened by our lack of involvement and take back large portions of Iraq, and begin more aggressive operations in other ME countries.

The GOP gets to work to gut EPA regulations, whatever is left of the Dept of Education, abortion law and provide even more tax loopholes and deregulation for wealthy corporations, and Mike Pence gets his list of SCOTUS nominees ready for confirmation. Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies in the next four years, as does Anthony Kennedy. Both seats are filled by Trump nominees, for a generation of pro-gun, pro-Citizens United, anti-gay-marriage, anti-abortion, pro-corporate rulings. Obamacare is repealed and millions lose their health insurance. Nothing is put in its place but a "national marketplace" where premiums are too high for anyone to reasonably afford them unless they are 100% healthy and young.

I can't keep going. This is ratcheting up my anxiety even more.

[earlgreyhot]

Nov 4, 2016 8:46:41 GMT -5 @meepmeep said:

OP, you need a new psychologist. This is the opposite of anxiety-relieving.

You know, I am thinking you are right. She's a friend, not someone I see. My actual guy just gave me more klonapin. 

I do find some relief in thinking through  contingencies and putting ridiculous spins on it. And I am trying to stay positive that Trump wouldn't do too much damage. 

But, yeah...

[underwaterrhymes]

Earth gets hit by a meteor, ending all life as we know it.

[lg28]

Nov 4, 2016 8:19:58 GMT -5 eclaires said:

NUCLEAR WINTER
BURNING CONSTITUTION
LACK OF FUNDING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
MH LOSES HIS JOB
WE MOVE TO CANADA
ITS REALLY COLD
NO TARGET WRAPPING PAPER AISLE FOR THERAPY

I don't feel better.

We do have places with decent wrapping paper. But the minute I cross the border to the US I start twitching until I get to target.

[jojoandleo]

NO

[foundmylazybum]

I teach people this skill. Its to stop catstrophizing. You dont stop at worst case. You have to also look at unlikely best case and most likely scenarios

[SpartanGirl]

I should not have come in here. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go spike my coffee and cry in the corner.

[7costanza]

Nov 4, 2016 9:17:10 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Earth gets hit by a meteor, ending all life as we know it.

After reading this thread, this sounds like best case scenario for a Trump presidency.

[Bad Dingo]

 

[tiramisu]

Yeah, catastrophizing is not a helpful technique, it's a cognitive distortion. Unlikely best case is better, so is evidence for and against and looking at what is reality.

[heat40]

Well this is different than the "think of your calm place in your mind and stay there for a few minutes" my therapist advises me to do. Lol

[froggy76]

I guess I've been doing this. I've been asking myself what is really likely to happen in the next 4 years if Trump is elected... not going to a worst case like the above. When I think about what is really realistic, it's scary but I think we could recover. Now, if he were re-elected, I just give up on life.

[earlgreyhot]

Nov 4, 2016 9:30:10 GMT -5 foundmylazybum said:

I teach people this skill. Its to stop catstrophizing. You dont stop at worst case. You have to also look at unlikely best case and most likely scenarios

Yes...this is what I meant. Thank you for clarifying. Clearly I'm not a professional so explained it all wrong!

Contingency planning is probably a better description for me. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

[noeliav]

Nov 4, 2016 8:46:41 GMT -5 @meepmeep said:

OP, you need a new psychologist. This is the opposite of anxiety-relieving.

RIGHT?
BRB off to vomit.

:?

[killercupcake]

I don't let my students catastrophize and I'm not letting any of you do it either.

That's like THE WORST way to reduce anxiety. STOP IT.

[mrsukyankee]

Yeah, I work with people to STOP catastrophising, not increase it, to stop anxiety.

[MixedBerryJam]

I don't like this game.
Exit, stage left.

 

[andwhat]

I catastrophize all the time. Who knew I was doing something good for myself

[krystee]

Nov 4, 2016 9:17:10 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Earth gets hit by a meteor, ending all life as we know it.

This sounds a lot better than some of these scenarios!

Worst-case thinking helps me sometimes. But in this case, worst-case is too bad for me to handle. I am having difficulty breathing just thinking about it.