Cognitive Distortions
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
It’s the tendency to see situations in black-and-white terms, with no middle ground (e.g., “I failed this task, so I’m a failure”).
What is progressive muscle relaxation?
Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups to help reduce physical tension and stress.
What are primary emotions?
Primary emotions are instinctive, universal emotions like fear, joy, anger, and sadness that arise in response to external events.
What is cognitive reframing?
Cognitive reframing is changing a negative or unhelpful thought into a more positive or realistic one.
What is behavioral activation?
It’s about engaging in activities that bring joy or satisfaction, especially when feeling down.
What is catastrophizing?
It’s the tendency to expect the worst possible outcome and magnify the negative aspects of a situation.
What is deep breathing?
Deep breathing involves taking slow, deep breaths to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce stress.
What is the difference between feelings and thoughts?
Feelings refer to emotional responses to events (e.g., feeling sad or anxious), while thoughts are the interpretations or beliefs we have about those events.
What does the ABC model stand for?
The ABC model stands for Activating event, Beliefs, and Consequences. It helps us understand how our thoughts (beliefs) about an event lead to emotional or behavioral responses.
What are behavioral experiments?
Behavioral experiments involve testing out beliefs or assumptions by engaging in behaviors to gather evidence that can support or challenge those beliefs, helping individuals develop more balanced perspectives.
What is mind reading?
It’s assuming you know what others are thinking, often assuming they have negative judgments about you.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the current moment, without judgment, which helps reduce stress and improve emotional regulation.
What is emotional regulation?
involves recognizing, understanding, and managing one’s emotions in healthy ways.
What does it mean to challenge a thought?
Challenging a thought means questioning whether it's true or helpful and replacing it with a more balanced or realistic thought.
What is activity scheduling?
Activity scheduling is a technique where individuals plan their daily or weekly activities to ensure they engage in pleasant or meaningful activities, which can help improve mood and decrease avoidance.
What is personalization?
It’s when someone blames themselves for things outside of their control (e.g., “It’s my fault the team didn’t win”).
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?
This grounding technique helps individuals cope with anxiety by focusing on 5 things they can see, 4 things they can touch, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste.
What is mood tracking?
the practice of recording and reflecting on one’s emotional states over time to identify patterns and triggers.
What is thinking in a balanced way?
Thinking in a balanced way means looking at both the positive and negative sides of a situation instead of only focusing on the negative.
What is exposure therapy?
Exposure therapy is a technique used to help individuals confront and gradually become desensitized to feared situations or stimuli in a controlled way, thereby reducing anxiety over time.
What is overgeneralization?
It’s making broad conclusions based on a single event or piece of evidence (e.g., “I failed this test, so I’ll never succeed in school”).
What are distress tolerance skills?
Distress tolerance skills are techniques used to manage emotional pain and distress without making the situation worse, such as self-soothing, distraction, or acceptance strategies.
How does emotion-focused coping differ from problem-focused coping?
Emotion-focused coping focuses on managing the emotional response to a situation (e.g., relaxation techniques), while problem-focused coping focuses on directly addressing the problem causing the distress.
What is a helpful question to ask when challenging thoughts?
A helpful question could be, “What evidence do I have for this thought?” or “What would I tell a friend who had this thought?”
How does avoiding reinforce negative mood patterns?
Avoiding situations or activities reinforces negative moods and can lead to more isolation, anxiety, or depression.