What are Cognitive Distortions?
What is a cognitive distortion?
normal thinking that cycles too much and becomes distressing; irrational or exaggerated thoughts that cause a person to have an unhelpful understanding of reality that distorts their view of themselves, situations, and relationships.
Cognitive distortions are human nature and unavoidable.
True: You can't entirely remove cognitive distortions or control the thoughts that you have. You can learn to identify cognitive distortions and work on reframing them to change your thinking patterns and lessen their impact.
Humans have a habit of leaning on avoiding distressful situations, but it can be more helpful to face them honestly. Try moving toward the good instead of avoiding the bad.
Negativity Bias/Mental Filter
Focusing only on negative aspects of a situation
I fear I am never going to get better.
Progress is not predictable and it can be a slower process than we want. Practice your patience. Keep putting in the intention and efforts to get better. Try something new!
You are grinding away the layers of struggles that have built up. It will take time, but you can handle this challenge!
I should never make mistakes.
I have to be perfect.
I gotta go exercise today!
"Should" Statement
How do cognitive distortions change your view of the situation?
They cause you to view yourself or the situation in an unhelpful way by leaning on a 'core belief' we may have learned during development. We accidentally skew the processing of info toward unpleasantness because of past experiences. Some common core beliefs that lead us astray are: "I must be perfect," "I am always behind," "I'm too tired," "I am not good/worthy enough."
Only people with a mental illness experience cognitive distortions.
False: Everyone can experience cognitive distortions
It's human nature to think about our thinking, and it's what makes us so unique! Learning that we cannot believe everything we think and that we cannot entertain certain trains of thought is crucial for growth.
Blaming
Assigning responsibility to the incorrect party (yourself or others).
It is often a transfer of who owns responsibility for an issue/challenge.
My partner criticized me last night when we were discussing our relationship. We're going to break up soon :(
My partner mentioned I could work on communicating more effectively, but they also mentioned things they appreciate about me. There were positive things said and some room for improvement. I care about my partner and want to collaborate with them.
I am lazy because I cannot keep up with my house chores.
I am a failure because I havent finished my chores yet.
I am incapable of this task.
Labeling/Mislabeling.
Are cognitive distortions always an unpleasant thought?
No, some cognitive distortions can put an exaggerated positive spin on a situation. For example: "always being right" is an elevated or seemingly positive view of yourself and your actions.
Similarly, Emotional Reasoning sometimes helps us or hurts us when we lean on our feelings about a situation.
Cognitive distortions are sometimes based in factual reality.
True: Some parts of the statement may be correct, but a cognitive distortion exaggerates or misrepresents the situation.
If the facts are unhelpful, a reframe can provide a new perspective: "i dont have a job and i need work!" -> "this is a new challenge to overcome" -> "i dont want to work at all!" -> how can you frame the work as something you value instead? does it provide something you value like freedom or security? -> "i care about my wellness so i will find a tolerable job that helps me support my interests and goals. the job is a tool toward the reward of self-care treats for myself"
Thinking in absolutes (never/always)
Overgeneralization/Black-and-White/All-or-Nothing Thinking
I feel really anxious, my decision must be wrong.
Just because I am anxious, it doesn't mean I made the wrong choice. I thought through my options to make the best decision with the information I have. I will act according to my values.
Something is really wrong; I am feeling extremely anxious.
Emotional Reasoning
What are the effects of cognitive distortions?
Fuels anxiety and depression, lowers mood, and damages self-esteem; strengthens unhelpful beliefs; distract us from our values; decreases likelihood of acting toward your goals
All negative thoughts are cognitive distortions.
False: Not every negative thought is a cognitive distortion. Look for signs that the negative thought is irrational or exaggerated that distorts your view of the situation.
Sometimes a situation is just simply not good, bad, unpleasant, troublesome, etc. Our job is to accept & acknowledge the reality and continue moving through our obstacles toward goals/values.
Personalization
The belief that you are responsible for events outside of your control.
Remember your Locus of Control! What do you directly control? what can you influence? and what do you have no control over?
The mistake I made is going to ruin my relationship.
Everyone makes mistakes. I can learn from it, make amends, and move on. One situation does not have to define our relationship.
[It's good practice to check-in with them to see how you can make restitution or apologize effectively.]
No one else completes the job the right way. I always have to do everything if I want it done right.
Always Being Right
What do you do with cognitive distortions?
Observe, Accept, & Reframe! If finding something positive is too challenging, just work to reframe it in a neutral light.
"That look on their face might indicate something about our conversation, but until I have better evidence, I can just ask if I said something they want to challenge or if there's something distracting their mind."
Reframes should always be positive
False: The goal of reframing is to turn the thought into a neutral statement and to figure out what portions of the statement are not true or helpful.
Moving toward a positive and optimistic outlook can surely help, but take small steps toward neutrality first.
Emotional Reasoning
Emotions reflect the way things really are.
My boss wants to have a meeting first thing tomorrow; I must be getting fired.
There is no strong evidence that I have done something that would get me fired, so this meeting could be about anything. I will resist the desire to predict the future with my anxiety, and instead, i will do each next small step in the present moment.
I am such a horrible employee because I was late to work. It doesn't matter what I do right because I mess up in this area.
Overgeneralizing