You text your partner. No reply. Suddenly, your mind spirals: "They must be furious," or "Something terrible has happened." You’re convinced you’re going to be ghosted, dumped, or worse.

This anxious spiral that some experience is likely not just a personal quirk but a reflection of a growing trend in our society. In our modern world filled with doomscrolling, fake news, and cancel culture, we seem to more often expect bad news. Workplace errors become firings. Parents agonize about children. Fears of financial collapse escalate with every market cycle.

Catastrophic thinking is rising alongside rates of anxiety and uncertainty. This bleeds into our relationships.

For instance, Pew research shows that 63 percent of Americans feel pessimistic about the future's moral standards.

You can spot its roots in scathing social media........

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