Cognitive Distortions
After missing a crucial shot, you think, "I'm the worst player on the team. I always choke."
All-or-Nothing Thinking
"I'm going to totally embarrass myself out there."
"I'm prepared, and I will focus on my game plan one play at a time."
"I dropped the pass because I took my eyes off the ball. I need to focus on watching it all the way into my hands next time."
Rational. (It's specific, based on fact, and focused on improvement)
"I totally choked under pressure."
"The pressure got to me this time. This is a skill I can practice. What can I do to feel more comfortable in those moments next time?"
Your coach gives you one piece of corrective feedback, and you go home feeling like the entire practice was a failure, ignoring all the things you did well.
Discounting the Positive
"My teammate is so much better than me. Why even bother trying?"
"I can learn from my teammate's strengths and focus on improving my own game."
"The coach put me on the second string. It's because she secretly hates me and wants me to quit the team."
Irrational. (This is Mind Reading and Personalization without evidence)
"I'm so stupid for missing that easy shot."
"That was a frustrating miss. Even the pros make mistakes. I'll make the next one. Let it go and focus on the next play."
After your team loses a game, you blame yourself entirely, thinking, "If only I had made that tackle, we would have won," ignoring other factors.
Personalization
"We lost. This proves we're a terrible team and will never be any good."
"We lost this game, but it's just one game. We can learn from our mistakes".
"I feel really nervous about this competition. It's a big event, and my performance matters."
Rational. (It accepts and normalizes the emotion and reframes it productively).
"If we lose this game, our season is a complete failure."
"This game is important, but our season is defined by our overall growth and effort. Let's focus on winning this possession."
Before a big game, you think, "I'm definitely going to make a mistake and cost us the game."
Catastrophizing or Fortune-Telling
"If I don't score 20 points tonight, I'm a complete failure."
"My goal is to play hard, smart, and help the team win in whatever way I can."
"We lost by 30 points. The entire season is now a complete waste and we might as well not even show up for the next game."
Irrational. (This is Catastrophizing and Overgeneralization).
"I don't deserve any credit for that win; the other team just played badly."
"We played a strong, disciplined game that forced them into mistakes. My hard work and our team's execution paid off."
You label yourself based on a single event, such as thinking "I'm a loser" after a loss, or "I'm a total failure" after a mistake.
Labeling
"The crowd is staring at me. They're all waiting for me to mess up."
"The crowd is here to see a good game. I will channel this energy and focus on my performance, not on them."
"My teammate didn't high-five me. It must mean I did something to upset him, and now the whole team is probably mad at me."
Irrational. (This is Mind Reading, Personalization, and Jumping to Conclusions).
"The referee is terrible and cost us the game."
"I can't control the officiating. We had plenty of other opportunities to win the game that were in our control. We'll focus on those."