Considering adversity as awful or terrible has profound emotional consequences. When we “awfulize” and “terriblize,” we evaluate an adverse event with an illogical badness rating scale, leading to unhealthy anxiety, worry, and panic. Therefore, it is essential to understand how you think and what you mean when you awfulize. It would be best if you came to see that regardless of the troubling reality, it nearly always does not reach awful, terrible, or mark the end of the world when these words are correctly defined. From the REBT perspective, anxiety rooted in awfulizing reflects that you think that:
The event is so bad that nothing could be worse.
The event is so bad that it marks the end of the world.
The event is so bad that it is more than 100% bad.
The event is so bad that you will be unable to transcend it.
The event is so bad that it forecloses all future happiness.
The event is so bad that it absolutely should not exist.
The event is so bad that nothing good could come from or follow it.
A Magical Conclusion
In REBT, we suggest you understand that awful is a “magical” conclusion that nearly always does not exist. Although tragedy and extremely bad events occur, you render yourself emotionally dysfunctional using the magical rating scale awfulizing creates. Instead, discipline your mind to evaluate your reality as bad, not awful, very bad although not awful, or tragic, but nevertheless not awful. Remove the awfulness from the tragedy, and you will feel appropriate deep concern about the possibility of a tragic event. Once that great adversity has come to pass, if you see it as tragic, not awful, you will feel great sorrow and be better able to transcend it with this healthy mindset and the emotional state that follows. When you judge adversity to be bad or tragic but not awful, you mean:
The event is bad, but it is helpful to see that things could nearly always worsen.
The event is exceptionally adverse but nearly always does not mark the world’s end.
The event is at the far end of the badness continuum, but it is and never can be more than 100% bad.
The event is exceptionally challenging but nearly always not so tough that you cannot transcend it.
The event could be the most negative circumstance you have or will face, but it nearly always does not foreclose all future happiness.
The event is so bad that it ideally should not exist, but sadly the conditions are such that it can and does exist.
The unfortunate event, though very bad, nearly always does not preclude that good could come from or follow it.
A Theoretical Possibility
Only the destruction of the universe might be considered awful. Although that could be the worst thing the human mind might now conceive, it does not necessarily mean that even this outcome would justify viewing it as awful. With further scientific understanding, some other scenarios could emerge that could be still worse.
Bottom Line
REBT recognizes that humans have difficulty thinking, feeling, and acting healthily when facing adversity. REBT’s premise is that humans are fallible. However, despite your human imperfections and weaknesses, you can cultivate reason and discipline your mind to think healthily about great hardship. Strive to discipline your mind to hold non-extreme attitudes towards adversity. Doing so will help you to face adversity, change what you can, and accept what you cannot. This practice will enable you nearly always to avoid closing the door on some degree of happiness in the face of great misfortune.