Name That Distortion
“I made one mistake today. I can’t do anything right.”
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
Catastrophizing: What type of thought would fit this distortion?
If I mess up this assignment, everything is going to fall apart.”
“Nobody likes me.”
What is Feeling?
A journal where you track your thoughts, feelings, and reframes.
What is a Thought Log?
Thinking in extremes: all good or all bad.
What is All-or-Nothing Thinking?
“I feel like I’m a failure, so I must actually be a failure.”
What is emotional reasoning?
“Should” Statements:
What might someone experiencing this distortion say?
“I should already have my life figured out.”
“I was invited to hang out twice this week.”
What is Fact?
A technique where you ask: “What evidence supports this belief?”
What is Challenging the Thought?
Assuming something bad will happen without evidence.
What is Catastrophizing?
“My friend didn’t text me back. They must be mad at me.”
What is mind reading?
Personalization:
What might someone think when another person is having a bad day?
“They’re upset because of something I did.”
“I feel like I’m going to fail again.”
What is Feeling?
“What would I say to a friend who thought this?”
What is Self-Compassion or Perspective-Taking?
You blame yourself for things out of your control.
What is Personalization?
“I messed up during group today. I’m always awkward when I talk.”
What is overgeneralization?
Fortune Telling:
Someone is about to have a difficult conversation. What might they think?
“This conversation is definitely going to go badly.”
“I completed two weeks of sobriety.”
What is Fact?
A tool to identify automatic thoughts and distortions.
What is Cognitive Restructuring?
Ignoring the positive and only focusing on negatives.
What is Mental Filtering?
“If I had not been angry with him, the accident wouldn’t have happened.”
What is magical thinking?
Disqualifying the Positive:
Someone receives ten compliments and one criticism. What might they focus on?
Only the criticism while dismissing or ignoring the compliments.
“They probably think I’m annoying.”
What is Feeling?
Replacing “always” or “never” thinking with flexible thinking.
What is Reframing?
Believing you know what others are thinking.
What is Mind Reading?