Cognitive Distortions
Beautiful or hideous. Black or white. Nothing in between.
What all or nothing thinking?
You walk into a room and suddenly feel awkward. You think, “I feel embarrassed, so I must look ridiculous right now.”
What is: Emotional Reasoning
Your best friend makes plans with someone else. You think, “They're replacing me. Soon we won't even be friends anymore.”
What is: Catastrophizing
Clue: “My friend hasn’t texted me back. They must be mad at me.”
What is “I don’t know why they haven’t responded yet. They could just be busy."
“My plans got canceled. This whole weekend is ruined.”
What is “I’m disappointed, but one canceled plan doesn’t have to ruin my entire weekend.”
Imagining the worst explanations or outcomes.
What is Catastrophizing?
You get an A on a test but miss two questions. You think, “Those two mistakes prove I didn't actually do that well.”
What is: Disqualifying the Positive
You make one mistake during a presentation and think, “That was a complete failure.”
What is: All or nothing thinking
“I feel ugly today, so I must look terrible.”
What is “Feeling insecure doesn’t mean there is actually something wrong with how I look.”
“Everyone complimented my artwork, but I noticed one part that looks bad. The whole thing sucks.”
What is “I can notice something I’d change while still recognizing what I did well.”
Making assumptions without enough evidence.
What is mind reading?
Your friend is quieter than usual. You immediately think, “They're annoyed with me.”
What is: Mind Reading
Someone reads your text but doesn't respond. You think, “They saw it and obviously don't want to talk to me.”
What is: Mind Reading
“I got one question wrong, so I’m terrible at this.”
What is “One mistake doesn’t erase everything I got right.”
“My friend seemed quiet around me. I know I did something wrong.”
What is “There could be many reasons they’re quiet that have nothing to do with me.”
Focusing only on the small negative aspects.
What is disqualifying the positive?
You don't make the team you wanted and think, “I'm terrible at sports.”
What is: All-or-Nothing Thinking
Five people compliment your outfit, but one person makes a weird face. You spend the rest of the day thinking about the weird face.
What is: Disqualifying the Positive
Clue: “I messed up during my presentation. Everyone probably thinks I’m stupid.”
What is “I can’t know what everyone is thinking, and making a mistake is normal.”
“I’m really anxious about tomorrow, so something bad is probably going to happen.”
What is “Anxiety is a feeling, not a prediction of what will happen.”
When you feel something so intensely ,so you think it might be true.
What is emotional reasoning?
Your teacher asks to talk to you after class. You think, “I'm definitely in trouble. They're probably going to call my parents, and everything is going to be a disaster.”
What is: Catastrophizing
You feel left out at lunch and think, “I feel unwanted, so nobody must want me here.”
What is: Emotional Reasoning
Clue: “If I don’t do this perfectly, I completely failed.”
What is “Something can be imperfect and still be successful.”
“I made one mistake. Now everything is going to go wrong, everyone will be disappointed in me, and I’ll never recover from it.”
What is “One mistake doesn’t determine what happens next. I can handle the problem one step at a time.”