I don’t know about you, but maintaining my usual level of optimism is becoming increasingly difficult. The daily news cycle alone is often enough to send me down a path of negativity that leaves me seeing the world in shades of grey. And with the reality of what’s going on, it is totally understandable and can be expected. However, even with this new reality, losing our positive expectations about the future can have serious consequences.

COVID-19 has hit the U.S. and has shut down businesses and schools all over the country. College students are having to switch to online classes and forced to move out of their dorms and move back home. As a senior in college, I’ve had my final semester abruptly cut short. Yet, there are still things to be thankful for.

Catastrophizing is an irrational thought that leads us to believe that something is far worse than it actually is. Every person tends to catastrophize from time to time. And it’s easy to see how this could happen now, more than ever. But, how do we transform these thoughts?

What’s the deal with the run on toilet paper? Why did everyone decide that they need a basketful of this particular product? While many experts have sought to explain this phenomenon with various theories, it might be as simple as this, it’s our way of trying to exert control in a world that feels out of control.