You are not alone - anxiety and catastrophization make things harder for a lot of people. The good news is that CBT has been shown to be more effective than placebo therapy for making improvements in this area. If as you say you can't pay for a therapist, try working from a book such as Mind Over Mood. I hope you're able to find some relief!
I'd like to second this recommendation. I used to catastrophise to a crippling degree, and I do it far less since my course of CBT. Mind Over Mood is excellent.
Some anti-depressants work pretty well for anxiety too. Are you on any medication?
The cognitive distortion is called "catastrophizing", I think.
I'm afraid of unexpected, strongly negative events occurring to me without warning. Nothing specific, just a generalized fear. That fear is crippling me. Worse, there's a part of me that feels that fear is keeping me safe. "If I let go of that fear," it goes, "I would start doing things and then I wouldn't be safe any more."
I haven't filled out a job application in over a week, because doing so would force me out into the world if i got an interview, and into the world consistently if I got the job.