We take the negative details and magnify them while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. By refuting negative thoughts over and over again, they will slowly diminish overtime and be automatically replaced by more rational, balanced thinking.Īaron Beck first proposed the theory behind cognitive distortions and David Burns was responsible for popularizing it with common names and examples for the distortions. By learning to correctly identify distorted thoughts, a person can then respond to the distorted thoughts by balancing them with thoughts that are more balanced, and based on fact/reality rather than negative feelings. But with examination, we can often find evidence that our thoughts are NOT factual, but based on a set of negative thought patterns that have developed based on our feelings, rather than factual evidence.Ĭognitive distortions are at the core of what many cognitive-behavioral therapists and other kinds of health professionals try and help a person learn to change their thinking style. Our automatic thoughts can feel rational and accurate, and most of all, they can feel factual. These are typically thoughts that occur automatically, and are usually used to reinforce negative thinking or emotions. If you can, make an extra effort to believe these facts.What’s a ‘cognitive distortion’ and why do so many people have them? Cognitive distortions are ways that our thought patterns can convince us that something is true or false. Does evidence back up your negative thought?īefore concluding, consider asking, investigating, and questioning yourself and others to ensure you have as many facts as possible. It might not feel natural, but eventually, it may become a spontaneous habit. Searching for positive aspectsĮven if it’s challenging at first, what if you find at least three positive examples in each situation. Instead of labeling yourself “lazy” because you didn’t clean today, consider: “I just didn’t clean today.” One action doesn’t have to define you. Once you focus on your thoughts and recognize a pattern, consider replacing statements such as “always” and “nothing” with “sometimes” and “this.” 3. If an event is upsetting you, step away from it if you can and try to focus on what you’re telling yourself about the event. You might not be able to change the events, but you can work on redirecting your distorted thoughts.īeginning with small changes can be helpful. Meanwhile, try to remember that it’s not the events but your thoughts that upset you in many instances. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help if you feel the process is too overwhelming. This makes it more challenging to reframe. Still, cognitive distortions sometimes go hand in hand with mental health conditions, such as personality disorders. Most irrational patterns of thought can be reversed once you’re aware of them. How to stop cognitive distortions and negative thinking Then you can reframe and redirect your thoughts so that they have less of a negative impact on your mood and behaviors. You can learn to identify cognitive distortions so that you’ll know when your mind is playing tricks on you. This happens particularly when we’re feeling down.īut if you engage too frequently in negative thoughts, your mental health can take a hit. When you treat these negative thoughts as facts, you may see yourself and act in a way based on faulty assumptions.Įveryone falls into cognitive distortions on occasion. Our thoughts have a great impact on how we feel and how we behave. In other words, cognitive distortions are your mind convincing you to believe negative things about yourself and your world that are not necessarily true. It consequently leads you to view things more negatively than they really are. A distorted thought or cognitive distortion - and there are many - is an exaggerated pattern of thought that’s not based on facts.
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