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Cognitive distortions are negative or irrational patterns of thinking. These negative thought patterns can play a role in diminishing your motivation, lowering your self-esteem, and contributing to problems like anxiety, depression, and even substance use.

 

CATASTOPHIZING-  Making something bad into the worst thing ever, and always was and always will be.

If friend doesn’t call back, she hates me, everyone else does too and they always will.

My child misbehaved in school and they will misbehave forever.

 

FORTUNE TELLING- Thinking you know what will happen in the future and it will be bad.

‘A new Manager is starting and as Ive had terrible managers in the past, this one’s BOUND to  be bad and I wont like them or they wont like me and then I will get stressed, and then lose my job’

‘My marriage has failed therefore all my relationships will be terrible’

‘My child was rude before, I know they will be rude to him again’

 

IGNORING THE GOOD- Paying more attention to the bad things and ignore anything good

‘You get a tax rebate- but they shouldn’t have taken it from you in the first place and its still  not enough money to stop working forever.’ One part of the relationship is bad and will not see what was good in it.

 

MIND READING- Believing you know what someone is thinking.

‘I failed to write the report yesterday, I bet the manager is thinking of sacking me’

‘I acted out of character yesterday, I bet they all think I’m an idiot now’

 

NEGATIVE LABELING -  Negative belief about yourself and thinks it applies to everything about you

‘I believe I’m not good socially, therefore Im a terrible person’

‘I cannot do fractions and am therefore terrible at maths’

‘I am not outgoing and confident and therefore I am not good enough’.

 

SELF BLAMING-  Blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong

Football team lost, its all my fault

Relationship broke down and its all my fault

Someone got annoyed with me and it’s my fault theyre annoyed

 

FEELINGS ARE FACTS- Believing that if you feel something it must be true

I feel like everyone hates me, so that must be true.

I felt like the woman in the shop disliked me so that must be true.

I felt insulted when he said that, therefore he was purposely insulting me.

 

SHOULD STATEMENTS- Believe things have to be a certain way.

‘He should always invite me to Sunday dinner each week’

‘She shouldn’t travel at night, its just wrong’

‘A man should always carry cash with him’

 

SETTING THE BAR TOO HIGH – Belief that you must be perfect in everything you do.

‘My tasks at work were not perfect and that’s not good enough’

‘I forgot to put the dishwasher on and that’s bad’

 

 

 

 

To read about this online, click this link;

https://www.verywellmind.com/ten-cognitive-distortions-identified-in-cbt-22412

 

 

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