Cognitive Distortions
Distortions are bent or warped in some way–they represent the world illogically by exaggerating or deforming the truth.
Cognitive distortions are thoughts that are warped in some way–they represent reality inaccurately by exaggerating or bending the truth–but most importantly, they’re generally not helpful or conducive to a healthy mind-state! The next time you feel overwhelmed by some kind of negative emotion, whether insecurity, anger or stress, take a moment to see if any of these distortions are lurking in the shadows.
Catastrophizing:
This distortion exaggerates reality by painting problems as absolute disasters. It can be easy to fall into thinking that negative, and even seriously upsetting situations mean the end of the world – but it can be liberating to assess that maybe that isn’t the case.
Overgeneralization:
Watch out for thoughts that mention “always” or “never.” A self-conscious student may think they’re always messing up and never doing anything right, but those statements aren’t accurate! They’re overgeneralized, and painting with a broad brushstroke here isn’t helpful to a healthy outlook. Part and parcel with overgeneralization is all-or-nothing thinking, characterized by the same absolutes that can cast wide nets over reality.
Jumping to Conclusions:
This includes two distortions fit for a palm reader: Mind Reading and Fortune Telling. For example, a stressed spouse may make an honest mistake and be consumed with psychic thoughts: “My partner will never forgive me. They’ll think I’m rotten!” Assess your predictions and catch your mind reading before it informs your emotional state. Fortune Telling follows the same pattern; making broad predictions without sufficient reason to do so. Take a measured approach to reevaluate your assumptions If you find yourself coming to conclusions that are causing you distress.
Should statements:
These are relatively sneaky thoughts that instruct how reality or your behavior ought to be. These are tricky to dispute or see problems with at first. They can be self-directed, like “I should exercise more”, or pointed towards others ``She should be nice to me!” The fact is, the word should attempts to lay down rules for how the world should work. Be aware of what your “shoulds'' mean. If by “I should exercise more”, you mean, “I’d like to exercise more”, that’s a healthy outlook–however, if instead, you’re referring to a rule you ought to follow without any exception whatsoever, explore whether or not your rigidity is causing you negative emotions like guilt or shame. The same goes for “shoulds'' directed at others. If “She should be nicer” means “I’d like her to be nicer”, that’s healthy. However, if it means “She ought to be helpful”, explore whether someone else’s violation of your “rule” is causing you distress.
Mental Filter:
Thinking through a mental filter is like using binoculars at a baseball game, but only honing in on one part of the field. You’re not seeing the whole picture! Life is dynamic, and negatives and positives co-exist. If you’re only focusing in on the negatives, you’re not getting an accurate view on reality, and you’re bumming yourself out. Watch that you’re not discounting the positives, and either not evaluating, or choosing to neglect the achievements, accomplishments and blessings in your life.
Now imagine those binoculars, but with your finger on the zoom knob. When you consider the positives and negatives, the way you emphasize or deemphasize the positives and negatives can still play a part in creating harmful thoughts. Watch for Magnification and Minimization, giving inaccurate weight to events or occurrences. Disappointments happen, but they’re not the end of the world.
The first sign of a cognitive distortion for you may be the onset of a negative or uncomfortable feeling, or maybe you’re aware of the nagging thought before the emotions set in. Either way, knowing is half the battle–and knowing that these distortions sulk around from time to time can be the first sign to turn those mental high beams on and scare em’ off.