CBT For Anxiety: The Great Christmas Catastrophe (That Probably Won’t Happen)
- Jacqueline Thompson
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Picture the scene. It’s December 23rd. You are standing on North Bridge. The wind is doing that specific Edinburgh thing where it tries to turn your umbrella inside out and blow you into the Balmoral Hotel simultaneously. Your phone buzzes. The delivery notification for your partner’s main present has changed from "Out for Delivery" to "In Depot."
Suddenly, your brain goes into overdrive and queue high levels of anxeity! “The present won’t arrive. I’ll have nothing to give them. They’ll think I don’t care. We’ll have a huge row on Christmas morning. The relationship will end. I will spend New Year’s Eve alone eating cold beans out of a tin.” Welcome to Catastrophising.
In the world of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), we talk about "Thinking Errors"—little traps our brains fall into. Catastrophising is the King of Christmas Thinking Errors when we feel anxious. It’s when our mind takes a small problem (a late parcel) and sprints toward the absolute worst-case scenario (dying alone with cold beans) in under six seconds.
Why We Do It (Especially in December)
Christmas is a breeding ground for this. The pressure to have the "Perfect Day" creates high stakes. When stakes are high, our brains get hyper-vigilant for threats. In Edinburgh, the environmental factors don’t help. The darkness, the crowds on Princes Street, and the unpredictable weather all add a layer of background stress. When we are stressed, we lose our ability to think flexibly. We stop seeing the grey areas and only see the black-and-white disaster.
The "Snowball Effect"
Think of a catastrophising thought like a snowball rolling down the side of Arthur's Seat.
Top of the hill: "The turkey looks a bit pale."
Middle of the hill: "The turkey is going to be undercooked and I’m going to give everyone food poisoning."
Bottom of the hill: "I am legally responsible for ruining Christmas and my family will never trust me with a roast potato again."
It sounds funny when you write it down, but when you are in the thick of it, it feels 100% real and terrifying.
The CBT for Anxiety Fix: How to Stop the Snowball
We can’t always stop the first thought (the "pale turkey" thought), but we can stop the snowball from gathering speed. Here is a simple 3-step CBT approach to try this festive season.
1. Catch It (The "Pause" Button)
The moment you feel that spike of panic—chest tight, stomach flipping—stop. Acknowledge what your brain is doing.
Say to yourself: "Okay, I’m catastrophising. I’m doing the disaster movie thing again." Labeling the thought takes away some of its power. It separates you from the thought.
2. Check It (The Courtroom)
Put your catastrophic thought on trial. Look for evidence.
The Thought: "If I slip on the ice on the Mound, everyone will laugh and I’ll be humiliated forever."
The Evidence: Have you seen people slip before? Yes. Did the world end? No. Did people mostly just ask if they were okay? Yes.
The Reality: If you slip, it will be annoying and sore. You might bruise your ego. But you will get up, walk away, and by the time you reach the High Street, the witnesses will have forgotten it happened.
3. Change It (The "Most Likely" Outcome)
Replace the disaster scenario with the most likely scenario.
Catastrophe: "If I burn the parsnips, Christmas dinner is ruined."
Most Likely Outcome: "If I burn the parsnips, we will have a laugh about it, open a window, and eat extra stuffing instead. Nobody is here for the parsnips anyway; they are here for the chat and the wine."
The "Good Enough" Christmas
This year, try to give yourself permission to be imperfect and watch your anxiety disolve.
The buses might be diverted. It might rain sideways. You might forget the cranberry sauce. None of these things are catastrophes. They are just hiccups.
If you find yourself spiraling this month, remember: thoughts are not facts. And if the worst comes to the worst and the turkey is dry? That’s what gravy is for.
Need help managing anxiety?
If you find that anxiety and catastrophising is stopping you from enjoying daily life, not just at Christmas, CBT can provide you with a toolkit to manage it. Contact Edinburgh CBT & Counselling Services today to discuss how we can help.
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