Catastrophising is when negative thinking spins out of control. It often creates the conditions for more disappointment and failure. Business coach Suzanne Crouch regularly helps people to deal with catastrophic thinking. Here she outlines how catastrophising in business can take over, and how to get on top of it.

“Oh Hen Pen,” said Chicken Little, “the sky is falling down.”

Deirdre came to her coaching session looking exhausted. “I couldn’t find my tax return form on Saturday morning, and then it just seemed to escalate. I shouted at my husband and was foul to the children. The weekend was a disaster.”

She had spent two days feeling anxious, angry and convinced the world was against her. What was she thinking? That if she could not find the form, she would never submit her tax assessment. That one of the children or her husband had thrown it away. That she would be fined a huge sum, lose the business, become bankrupt and lose the family home.

Does this escalation sound familiar? When we looked at it together, almost every thought could be challenged. One phone call to her accountant sorted the situation. It was not the missing form that caused the damage. It was Deirdre’s thinking.

What catastrophising looks like in business

Catastrophising is your imagination running unchecked. It is the habit of believing that something is far worse than it actually is, and then letting that belief drive your feelings and behaviour. Your mind creates a dramatic scenario, your body responds as if the scenario is real, and your actions follow.

For women running businesses in the UK, the triggers are often specific and high-stakes: a late invoice becomes cash-flow collapse; a critical email becomes a lost client; a missed deadline becomes a ruined reputation. The thoughts lead to hopelessness, self-pity and sometimes self-loathing. If catastrophising becomes habitual, it limits your opportunities, strains your relationships and can create the very failure you fear.

The good news is that catastrophising is a thinking pattern, not a personality trait. It can be interrupted and retrained.

Why catastrophising hits women founders hard

Running a business already carries uncertainty. Many women founders also manage caring responsibilities, uneven access to finance and the pressure of being visible in rooms where they are under-represented. The context is demanding: women-led businesses contribute around £85 billion to the UK economy each year, according to the 2019 Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, yet all-female founder teams receive less than 2% of UK venture capital, the British Business Bank reported in 2022.

ONS data from 2023 also shows that women in the UK carry out around 60% more unpaid work than men, including childcare and household tasks. Around 1.4 million women are self-employed in the UK, and women make up roughly one third of the self-employed workforce, according to ONS labour market estimates for 2024. The Women in Business: Key UK Facts page sets out the scale of women’s enterprise in the UK, and the pressures are real.

When stress is high, the brain defaults to worst-case thinking. A setback stops being a single problem and becomes proof that everything is about to unravel. That spiral drains the energy you need to solve the actual problem.

How to stop yourself catastrophising

Stopping catastrophic thinking takes conscious effort, but the more you practise, the weaker the habit becomes. Use these five steps when you feel your thoughts escalating.

1. Recognise the physical warning signs. Notice the feelings first: a tight chest, shallow breathing, racing thoughts, irritability. These sensations are symptoms of catastrophising, not proof that disaster is coming.
2. Create a mental stop signal. Build a strong image you can call up instantly. Picture a loud siren, a flashing neon stop sign, or a phrase you say out loud. The aim is to break the loop before it gathers speed.
3. Stop and name the thought. Pause and write down exactly what you are afraid will happen. Getting it out of your head and onto paper reduces its power and lets you see the exaggeration.
4. Challenge the thinking. Ask: what evidence supports this? What evidence contradicts it? What is the most likely outcome? What is one practical step I can take right now? Deirdre’s one phone call replaced bankruptcy with a missing form.
5. Reward the correction. Replace the catastrophic thought with a truthful, encouraging statement. For example: “I noticed unhelpful thinking and I challenged it. I can handle this one step at a time.”

Build habits that reduce catastrophic thinking

Interrupting catastrophising in the moment is essential, but prevention matters too. A consistent morning routine, clear boundaries between work and home, and regular breaks all reduce the baseline stress that feeds worst-case thinking. Our article on why a morning routine protects mental health explains how small daily anchors protect your decision-making.

Working from home can blur those boundaries, so it is worth reviewing how you structure your day. The Prowess guide on maintaining work-life balance while working from home has practical ideas for women running businesses from their kitchen table.

When catastrophising is a sign to get help

Occasional catastrophic thoughts are normal. If they are frequent, intense or starting to affect your sleep, relationships or ability to work, it is time to seek support. In the UK, you can:

• Speak to your GP about NHS Talking Therapies, which offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression.
• Contact Samaritans on 116 123 for free, confidential support, 24 hours a day.
• Text SHOUT to 85258 for free mental health support by text message.
• Explore the free workplace mental health tips on Prowess for practical ways to protect your wellbeing while running a business.

Catastrophising in business is not a sign of weakness. It is a thinking habit that thrives on isolation and pressure. Naming it, challenging it and building support around it puts you back in control.

Action steps to stop catastrophising

• Notice one physical sign that tells you catastrophic thinking is starting.
• Choose a mental stop signal and practise using it this week.
• Write down your worst-case thought, then list the evidence against it.
• Identify one practical action you can take on the real problem.
• If catastrophic thinking is frequent or overwhelming, book a GP appointment or contact a UK mental health helpline.

As Shakespeare put it: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” The situation may not change immediately, but your thinking can, and that changes everything.