By Joyce Marter, LCPC
You have probably experienced “snowballing” and never even known it. This is the term I have given to packing more and more negative thoughts onto an original fear or worry until it transforms into unmanageable anxiety. The outcome is usually an intense feeling of overwhelm or inadequacy which can lead to feeling frozen, depressed, and can even trigger a panic attack.
For example, you try on a pair of pants and they don't fit. Your mind becomes flooded with negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself and your body:
“Oh my God, I am fat. I look horrible. I never should have canceled the gym membership. If I had a better job, I could afford to workout. My job sucks and I have no money. I am a loser. Nobody is going to want to date me. I am going to be alone forever.”
Making a “snowball” of negative thoughts is extremely self-destructive. Thoughts are very, very powerful. Cognitive therapists believe our thoughts precede our behaviors and our emotions. Our thoughts can actually impact our future through self-fulfilling prophecy—if our belief systems and our energy is directed towards our fears, we are increasing the likelihood that those fears will become our reality. However, by consciously restructuring our thinking or our “self talk,” we can behave and feel more positively.