Thought Traps (Cognitive distortions)
This thought trap assumes you know what others are thinking without evidence.
Mind Reading
This emotion often shows up when you feel nervous about something that hasn’t happened yet.
Anxiety
In CBT, what are the three parts of the triangle?
Thoughts, feelings, behaviors
A mindset that believes abilities can improve with effort is called this.
Growth Mindset
Journaling helps increase awareness of what three things?
Emotions, thoughts, patterns/triggers
Thinking in extremes like “always” or “never” is called this.
All-or-Nothing Thinking
This feeling is often underneath anger when someone feels hurt or misunderstood.
If the thought is “I’m not good enough,” what feeling often follows?
Sadness, anxiety, shame (any appropriate answer)
“This is just how I am, I can’t change” is an example of which mindset?
Fixed Mindset
An “emotion dump” journal is best described as this type of writing.
Free writing without structure or editing
This distortion turns one mistake into “I mess everything up.”
Overgeneralization
Feeling “blah,” disconnected, or emotionally flat is often described as this.
Numbness
Avoiding school or people would fall under which part of the triangle?
Behavior
What word can you add to a fixed mindset thought to make it more growth-focused?
YET!
True or False: Journaling has to be shared to be helpful.
False
Assuming the worst possible outcome will happen is known as this thought trap.
Catastrophizing
This emotion combines stress, pressure, and feeling like things are “too much.”
Overwhelm
Which part of the triangle is usually easiest to change first?
Behavior (or thoughts, depending on discussion)
Why is a growth mindset helpful for mental health recovery?
It supports change, learning, and resilience
Reframe/release journaling focuses on doing what with thoughts?
Challenging or releasing unhelpful thoughts
This thought trap focuses only on the negative and ignores neutral or positive information.
Mental Filtering / Negative Filtering
Why is naming emotions an important coping skill?
It increases self-awareness and helps regulate emotions / choose coping skills
True or False: Changing one part of the triangle can affect the other two.
True
Rewrite this using a growth mindset: “I’ll never be able to cope.”
“I’m learning how to cope” / “I can’t cope yet”
Why might journaling help interrupt a thought spiral?
It slows thinking and creates distance from thoughts