Common Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive distortions are irrational ways of thinking that can cause psychological distress. Here are a few common ones:
- All-or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing things in black and white. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.
- Catastrophizing: Expecting the worst-case scenario to happen, no matter how unlikely it is.
- Overgeneralization: Seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat. You might think, "This always happens to me."
- Personalization: Blaming yourself for events that are not entirely your fault.
The first step to changing these patterns is recognizing when you are doing them.