Should statements
Should statements
The belief and pressure that things should be a certain way.
All or nothing
Thinking in absolutes such as "always," "never," or "every."
Catastrophizing
seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation.
The expectation that a situation will turn out badly without adequate evidence.
Fortune Telling
Disqualifying the positive
Recognizing only the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive. You might receive many compliments on an evaluation but focus on the single piece of negative feedback.
Name or reframe this thought: "I should have done the laundry yesterday; I keep putting it off."
"I haven't done the laundry yet; I will get to it when I am able to."
Name or reframe this thought: "I ate two cookies; I might as well quit this diet because I can't follow it."
"It isn't always possible to follow a plan perfectly." "Doing my best is good enough." "Progress not perfection."
Name or reframe this thought: "I have a stomachache; it must be serious; I need to go to the hospital."
"I have had stomach aches in the past that were nothing serious, I could have eaten something that upset my stomach."
interpreting the thoughts and beliefs of others without adequate evidence.
emotional reasoning
the assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are.
Name or reframe this thought: "I shouldn't have let that comment from my coworker get to me."
Name and Reframe this thought: "I forgot to get my friend a birthday gift last week, I am just such a terrible person."
All or nothing thinking. Reframe: "I feel bad for forgetting to get them a gift, but I have been there for them over the years in other ways."
Name or reframe this thought: "If I tell them how I feel, they will hate me."
"My thoughts and emotions deserve to be expressed." "I have expressed difficult emotions to other people in the past and it hasn't always gone poorly."
"Everyone makes mistakes and not everyone gets fired."
Name or reframe this thought: "I didn't get that promotion, I am such a loser."
"I have worked hard and haven't gotten exactly where I want to be yet."
Name or reframe this thought: "I should have known better and seen that coming."
"I am not a mind reader and can't assume what other people are thinking."
Name or reframe this thought: "My partner broke up with me, I've got nothing to offer, I'll be single forever."
"I am worthy of love the way that I am." "I have lived without my partner before, and I can do it again."
Name or reframe this thought: "We just hit turbulence; the plane is going to crash."
"All planes experiences some turbulence."
Name and Reframe this thought: "I know I am going to have a panic attack when I go to the party tomorrow, so I might as well cancel now."
Fortune Telling. Reframe: "I have been to these types of parties before and I have never had a panic attack. I will probably be fine."
Name or reframe this thought: "I feel so stupid, I didn't know the right answer, I must be dumb."
"I won't know the answer to everything and that does not make me stupid."
Name or reframe this thought: "I should be happy and be able to deal with this."
"People aren't always happy." "I don't feel better yet, and I am working on the skills to get there."
Name or reframe this thought: "I lost my temper today; I am a complete failure as a parent."
"The best parents have emotions too." "I am doing my best."
Name or reframe this thought: "They haven't talked to me all day, they are never going to talk to me again, I must have done something wrong."
"Sometimes it takes them a little bit to get back to me." "There are plenty of reasons why they can't get back to me right now."
Name and reframe this thought: "That person looked at me, they definitely noticed that I didn't brush my hair today."
"They could have been looking at something behind me."
Name or reframe this thought: your boss gives you feedback, "you did an amazing job in that meeting, next time can you try to arrive 5 minutes earlier?" you feel anxious about the feedback from your boss and are fixated on the 5 minutes earlier comment.
"I did a great job in that meeting and deserve to feel good about that."