I vividly remember when I was first introduced to the concept of cognitive distortions . A friend exhorted me to look it up online , and I did . The discovery was a game changer .
A cognitive distortion is a thought that is not based in reality . But it feels real to us .
It ’ s not as severe as a delusion , which completely marches off the map of what ’ s real . But it ’ s problematic nonetheless .
Here are six common cognitive distortions , along with their descriptions :
• Jumping to conclusions . This is when you have some facts , but you connect the dots in a certain way to arrive at a conclusion . The conclusion , however , is only in your mind . It hasn ’ t yet been manifested .
• Catastrophizing . This is when your mind plagues you with torturous thoughts of worstcase scenarios that seem so believable that you start preparing for them . In most cases in life , however , these horrific scenarios never happen , so you end up causing yourself a lot of needless stress and anxiety .
• Mind reading . This is when you impute motivations and intentions to other people . You read their minds . At least you think you do . Often , however , you discover you were wrong , and your mind-reading cap is flawed !
• Negative record of past events . This is when your mind replays only the negatives in a past situation and filters out the positive . This gives you a distorted view of life . The result : You are apt to live your life in perpetual regret .
• Reading into things based on the absence or presence of a fact . Suppose you talk to someone and they don ’ t sound happy to hear from you . You read into their response that they ’ re angry or upset with you . But the truth is , maybe they feel sick or tired . Always think the best of others . As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:5 , “ Love thinks no evil .” ( NKJV )
• Negative predictions . This is when you predict the worst outcome . And the prediction feels certain .
The common thread that lurks behind all these distortions is overthinking .
And the way to combat each one is to challenge them .
“ What we believe tends to come to pass , so proper thinking is more than simply making ourselves feel better .”
For example , in your mind you can say things like , “ I have no proof that this is true ,” and , “ I don ’ t want others to think the worst of my motives , so I will give them the benefit of the doubt . That ’ s what love does .”
When it comes to filtering out positives and remembering only the negatives , deliberately bring the positives to mind . And dwell there .
In short , train yourself to challenge and refute the distortions by giving yourself alternative narratives .
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