Your brain loves a good disaster movie — and sometimes it casts you in the starring role. A late text reply? Suddenly your relationship is over. A headache? Must be a brain tumor. A mistake at work? Clearly the end of your career. Sound familiar? That's catastrophizing. In this episode of Exhausted Sparrows Unite, we're diving deep into why our minds default to worst-case scenarios, how catastrophizing keeps us stuck in stress mode, and—most importantly—how to quiet that inner alarm bell. We'll talk about: - Why catastrophizing is a survival instinct gone rogue - The everyday ways it shows up in relationships, parenting, health, and work - The hidden cost of living in "apocalypse mode" - Practical tools to break the spiral and reclaim your peace If you've ever turned a stubbed toe into the end of the world in your head, this episode is for you. Let's laugh, get honest, and learn how to stop letting imaginary disasters steal our energy.