Cognitive Distortions 1
When you blame yourself for something that was not your fault or within your control
What is Personalization/Self-Blame?
Believing that if you feel something, it must be true
What is Feelings as Facts?
Thinking you're not good enough after not passing a math test.
What is Perfectionism?
My friend didn't answer my text message, she must be mad at me.
What is Mind Reading?
Reframe the following sentence:
"I will never be happy."
"I may be unhappy now but that will pass."
"I have been happy before and I will be happy again."
What are Should Statements?
When you make assumptions or conclusions based on a negative experience you had in the past
What is Overgeneralization?
You say to yourself "that happened a long time ago, I shouldn't still be upset about it."
What are Should Statements?
My parents are fighting. It must be because of something I did.
What is Personalization/Self-Blame?
Reframe the following:
"My friend didn't say hi to me this morning. They must not want to be friends anymore."
"There could be many reasons why my friend didn't say hi. I'm sure everything is fine. I'll check in with them later."
When you think everything is either really good or everything is really bad
What is Black and White Thinking?
Thinking you must be perfect in everything that you do, otherwise you're not good enough
What is Perfectionism?
Your friend complimented the way you look but you think to yourself, "They're just being nice."
What is Ignoring the Positive?
You feel really ugly today and believe that everyone else must think you're ugly too.
What is Feelings as Facts?
Reframe the following sentence:
"I got 99% on my test, I can't believe I missed a question."
"I got 99% on my test, next time I am going to try to get 100%"
"I did miss one question, but my hard work paid off"
When positive experiences "don't count" and you focus on the negative.
What is Ignoring the Positive?
When you believe that you know what someone else is thinking, or why they are doing something, without having all the information
What is Mind Reading?
You want to host a birthday party but you think to yourself "What if no one shows up?" "What if people think my party is boring?"
What is Catastrophizing?
You were in a bad relationship and now you feel like you're not good in relationships and are never meant to ever be in a relationship again.
What is Overgeneralization?
Reframe the following sentence:
"I should have done things differently"
"I did the best that I could at the time"
"Now that I've learned from the situation, I can do things differently in the future"
When you always expect the worst case scenario
What is Catastrophizing?
When you assign a negative belief about yourself and apply it to all situations.
What is Labeling?
You're really motivated after starting a new workout routine. Your first day of this routine, everything is great. The second day is harder, and decide to quit. You think to yourself "This is too hard, I can't do this."
What is Black and White Thinking?
You had an awkward encounter with someone you just met. You think to yourself, "I'm so weird and annoying. People don't like me."
What is Labeling?
Reframe the following:
"My mom was supposed to be home an hour ago. What if something happened to her?"
"Maybe she got caught up with something. I'll give her a call to see if she needs anything."
"There are other reasons she could be late. I'm sure she'll be here soon."