297 | Why Your Anxious Brain Assumes the Worst & How I'm Rewiring My Brain For More Positive Thinking (as a Therapist)

297 | Why Your Anxious Brain Assumes the Worst & How I'm Rewiring My Brain For More Positive Thinking (as a Therapist)

From Free & Well: Overcome Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm & Grow Your Confidence With Mental Health & Faith Based Practices by Devoney Kodad, Anxiety Therapist, Self Confidence Coach & Christian Yoga Teacher

May 20, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

Devoney discusses the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing and shares tools to rewire anxious thinking towards more positive outcomes.

Does your brain immediately jump to the worst-case scenario? In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most common unhelpful thinking patterns (cognitive distortions) that fuels anxiety: catastrophizing . I’m sharing my own personal struggle with anxious thinking and how my mind can quickly create stories about everything that could go wrong. I’ll also walk you through practical tools that have helped me interrupt fear-based thought loops, rewire my brain, and intentionally create space for what else could be true—including positive outcomes and what could go RIGHT. If anxiety has you living in “what if?” mode, this episode will help you shift into “what if things actually work out?” mode. Please forgive the audio quality - I HAD to record this and I didn't have my best mic. [FREE 4 MINUTE CALM RESET AUDIO] Want a short, grounding practice for when you're feeling overwhelmed? Grab it here & use it anytime! [CALM AUDIO BUNDLE] Want an in the moment guided practice to get out of your head, break out of the overthinking spiral & feel more calm & grounded? Grab the CALM Audio Bundle here.—short and effective grounding tools, breathing practices, and healing audios…

People in this episode

Host: Devoney Kodad

Topics covered

  • anxiety
  • cognitive distortions
  • catastrophizing
  • positive thinking
  • mental health
  • self-improvement

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • catastrophizing
  • positive thinking
  • mental health
  • self-improvement
  • fear-based thoughts
  • grounding practices

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