“I’ll never find love.” “This job interview will be a disaster.” “My friend is definitely mad at me.” Thoughts like these exemplify the cognitive distortion known as “fortune telling” - when we predict negative outcomes as inevitable fact. While feeling into the future is human nature, fortune telling thoughts can seriously skew our perspective. By recognizing how this distortion warps thinking, we can catch ourselves from declaring undeserved doom and gloom.
The essence of fortune telling lies in catastrophizing - assuming the worst will happen without any evidence. Unlike worrying, fortune telling asserts absolutes about the future. “I might mess up my speech” becomes “My speech will be an embarrassing failure.” We mind read how others will judge us harshly. In relationships, we shut out optimism by insisting problems will never improve. Fortune telling thoughts breed fear, anxiety, and self-fulfilling prophecies.
What drives this cognitive distortion? Often the root lies in deep insecurity or fear of uncertainty. We prefer the illusion of control gained by predicting the future rather than tolerating vulnerability. Low self-esteem makes it hard to imagine positive outcomes. All-or-nothing thinking also feeds fortune telling’s negative absolutes.
Learning to identify our own fortune telling tendencies is key. Ask yourself, “Am I stating with certainty what is truly uncertain?” Insist on proof before declaring ruin. Look for shades of gray - rarely is the future black or white. Though the unknown brings discomfort, loosening the grip of fortune telling creates space for all possible outcomes, including the chance things could go right.
