Name That Distortion
"I failed one quiz. I'm terrible at school."
Overgeneralization
“I’m going to embarrass myself in this presentation.”
“I might feel nervous, but I can still do okay.” or some version of this (group leader's choice if you get the point)
Thought: “I always mess things up.”
Question: Name one piece of evidence against this thought.
“I’ve succeeded at things before.” (or some version of this)
Scenario: You wave at someone in the hallway and they don’t wave back.
Question: Name one other explanation besides “they’re ignoring me.”
They didn’t see you
They were distracted
They were thinking about something elsef
Scenario: Your friend seems quiet today.
Question: Name two possible reasons why.
They’re tired
Something happened at home
They’re stressed about school
“Everyone in this room thinks I'm weird.”
Mind Reading
“Nobody likes me.”
“I don’t know what everyone thinks, but some people do enjoy being around me.”(or some version of this - group leader choice if you get the point)
Thought: “No one wants to hang out with me.”
Question:
Name one piece of evidence against this thought.
“Someone invited me to something recently.” (or some version of this)
Scenario: You get a lower grade than expected.
Question: What is a balanced thought?
“I can learn from this and improve next time.”
Scenario: Someone walks past you without saying hi.
Question: Name two possible explanations.
They didn’t see you
They’re distracted
“If I mess up this presentation my life is over.”
Catastrophizing
“If I make a mistake everyone will judge me.”
“Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.” (same with the others)
Thought: “I’m bad at school.”
Question: Name one piece of evidence that challenges this thought.
“I do well in some classes.” (or some version of this)
Scenario: Your friend cancels plans.
Question: Name two possible explanations.
Something came up
They’re tired
Family plans changed
Scenario: You didn’t get picked for something you wanted.
Question: Name two possible explanations.
There were lots of applicants
The teacher needed different skills
“My friend didn’t text back. They must be mad at me.”
Jumping to Conclusions
“I’m bad at everything.”
“There are some things I struggle with and some things I’m good at.” (or a version of this/group leader choice)
Thought: “Everyone is judging me.”
Question: What evidence do we actually have for this?
“We usually don’t know what others are thinking.” (or some version of this)
Scenario: You say something in class and a few people laugh.
Question: Name two explanations besides them laughing at you.
They thought it was funny
Someone else said something
They weren’t laughing at you
Scenario: Someone gives you a weird look.
Question: Name three possible explanations.
They were confused
They were thinking about something
They weren’t actually looking at you
“If I’m not perfect at this, I’m a total failure.”
All-or-Nothing Thinking
“I’ll never get better at this.”
“Learning takes time and practice.” (or a version of this/group leader choice)
Thought: “I always ruin things.”
Question: Name two pieces of evidence against this thought.
“I’ve helped people before”
“Things have gone well before”
Scenario: You make a mistake in front of others.
Question: What is a balanced thought you could tell yourself?
“Mistakes happen and this doesn’t define me.”
Scenario: You send a message and someone doesn’t reply for hours.
Question: Name three possible explanations.
Busy
Phone died
Forgot to reply