Name That Trap
Seeing things as only perfect or total failure, with no middle ground.
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
"They left me on read, so they must be mad at me."
Mind reading (jumping to conclusions)
"Coach picked someone else for the lineup. I'm terrible at this and should just quit."
Labeling or all-or-nothing
"I always mess everything up."
"I messed up this one thing, and I've gotten other things right."
Thoughts affect feelings, which affect what?
What are behaviors (actions)?
Taking one bad event and deciding it will keep happening, using words like "always" and "never."
What is overgeneralization?
"The party's going to be awkward, so I'm not going."
Fortune telling (jumping to conclusions)
"Everybody posted pics from the hangout and I wasn't in any. Nobody ever wants to include me."
Overgeneralization or mind reading
"He didn't text back, so he hates me."
"He might be busy. I can check in later."
True or false: Only people with mental health struggles have thinking traps.
False. Everyone does.
Blowing a problem way out of proportion and picturing the worst possible outcome.
What is catastrophizing (magnification)?
"I forgot my charger. I'm so stupid."
Labeling
"I don’t care that the rest of the teachers are nice, why is the English teacher so mean? School is the worst."
Mental filter
"If I'm not perfect, I'm a failure."
"I can do well without being perfect. Mistakes are part of learning."
True or false: If a thought feels true, it must be true
False. Feeling certain isn't the same as having evidence.
Brushing off good things with "that doesn't count."
What is disqualifying the positive?
"My parents are stressed, so it must be because of me."
Personalization
"I should be over this by now. Everyone else handles stress better."
Should statements (Shoulding all over yourself)
Name one question you can ask yourself to check a thought.
"What's the evidence for and against?" "Am I exaggerating?" "What would I say to a friend?"
Name one word or phrase to listen for that might signal a thinking trap.
"always," "never," "everyone," "nobody," "should," "must," "I'm such a…," "what if…," "they must think…”
Zooming in on one negative detail and ignoring everything else.
What is mental filter?
"I feel nervous, so something bad must be about to happen."
Emotional reasoning.
“I failed that assignment. Everything’s ruined, I’ll never be able to get a job or go to college now”
Jumping to conclusions, catastrophizing
"Everybody saw me mess up that presentation. They must think I'm an idiot."
"I stumbled on one part. Most people were focused on their own stuff, and I can do better next time."
Your brain just told you, "I'm going to fail this class." Name three things you could do that would help you test whether the thought is true, instead of just believing it or arguing with it.
Ask the teacher where you actually stand, look at your real grades so far, make a small plan for the next assignment
Ask a friend or parent what they see
Notice and name it ("I'm having the thought that I'm going to fail")