Cognitive distortions that add to anxiety, worry and stress
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS THAT ADD TO ANXIETY, WORRY AND STRESS
All-or-Nothing Thinking: Looking at things in black-or-white categories with no middle ground or variations. For example, “if I fall short of perfection, I am a total failure”.
Overgeneralization: Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever or always; “I didn’t get hired for the job. I will never get any job”.
The Mental Filter: Focusing on the negative while filtering out all the positives; “Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right”.
Diminishing the Positive: Coming up with reasons why positive events do not count; “I did well on the presentation, but that was just dumb luck”.
Jumping to Conclusions: Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. It is when you act like a mind reader; “I can tell she secretly hates me”, or a fortune teller; “I just know something terrible is going to happen”.
Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst-case scenario to happen; “The pilot said we are in for some turbulence. The plane is going to crash”!
Emotional Reasoning: Believing that the way you feel reflects reality; “I feel frightened right now. That must mean I am in real physical danger”.
Should and Should-nots: Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and should not do, and beating yourself up if you break any of the rules.
Labelling: Labelling yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings; “I am a failure, an idiot, a loser”.
Personalization: Assuming responsibility for things that are outside your control; “It is my fault that his son got an accident. I should have warned him to drive carefully in the rain”
Understanding these CDs will help us handle any situation that comes up with appropriate response and action, and that includes emotionally and psychologically.
“Always remember this: Those who adapt themselves will be preserved until the end. That which bends can be straightened. That which is empty can be filled. That which is worn away can be renewed”.
Recent Comments
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Thanks for sharing. I know one thing. Surrender. But you need to believe in yourself. Stay positive. You have to change your perseption first. The best advice. Don't watch television. Till you have changed your perseption. Success. God Bless. Clyde
Thank you for sharing this beautiful article. I am always positive, even though there is failure, I consider it as a challenge and I am learning from failure.
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Well the do say mindset changes all unless we suffer from a mental illness there is no reason why we could not make changes, interesting list