Thinking Traps

Sharon Lee, MSW, RSW

You’ve probably heard about sound distortion and sight distortion but what about thought distortion? Distorted thinking, also called cognitive distortion, is an exaggerated pattern of thought that is not based on fact nor reality. It leads you to view things more negatively than they really are.

We all experience cognitive distortions to a greater or lesser degree. Our minds develop these as a way to cope with adverse life events. They initially serve to keep us safe but if left unchecked, they can become so entrenched within us that we treat these negative thoughts as facts. Subsequently, we may begin to see ourselves and act in ways based on these faulty assumptions.

Common Thought Distortions: (this list with points to ponder is not exhaustive, just enough to get you thinking!)

• Catastrophizing: You jump to the worst possible conclusion in every scenario. Are you looking at all the evidence or just what supports your thoughts?

• Minimization and Magnification: You minimize your achievements and magnify your own mistakes whilst magnifying other people’s achievements. Your achievenments / positives count too. Are you using the same yardstick to measure yourself as others?

• Mental filter: You focus on a single negative piece of information and ignore any evidence that contradicts your view. Are you looking at the whole picture?

• Overgeneralization: You come to a general conclusion based on a single event. If something bad happens once, you expect it to happen again and again. You are convinced of an outcome without even giving it a chance thereby limiting your options. Are you having this thought out of habit or do the facts support it?

• Should, Must, Ought: You criticize yourself or other people with should or should not statements. These statements give you two options: pass or fail, when in reality we know life is much more complex than that. Did someone pass this thought to me (i.e. social media) and if so, are they a reliable source?

• All or nothing thinking: Also known as black and white thinking. For example, something is 100% perfect or 100% terrible. This prevents us from growing, adapting or enjoying anything that isn’t perfect. Is there anything in between these two extremes or shades of gray in this ?

• Personalization: You feel responsible for other people’s happiness or failure even when they are not connected to or caused by you. You assign blame to yourself. Ask yourself what you are really in control of here?

• Mind Reading: Without checking it out, you arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you. You are convinced that you are right despite the evidence. If someone else were present, would they too see the same evidence. What is the cost to your mood and relationships if you hold onto this thought?

The above negative thought patterns have been identified by various mental health professionals, namely Aron Beck. He observed that people susceptible to mental health issues develop inaccurate/ unhelpful beliefs about themselves, others and the world as a result of their learning histories.

How to Develop Flexibility in our Thinking

(in no particular order & more could have been added)

• Become aware of any negative thoughts you have and those that have the greatest impact on your mood

• Through journaling, reflection etc. you may find certain situations or people trigger these thoughts

• Practice mindful activities like yoga or meditation to quiet the mind and direct attention elsewhere

• Put your thoughts on trial i.e. what is the evidence for and against this thought, is there more to this situation, is there another way of looking at this ?

• Reframe and replace negative thoughts into realistic and optimistic ones but don’t force positive thoughts as this takes time and practice

• Ask yourself questions:

• Does having this thought serve me well ?

• What advice would you give a friend who had this thought ?

• Now imagine what advice this same friend would give you

• Seek professional help as you don’t have to go it alone

We can’t eliminate negative emotions as they are part of our rich repertoire of human emotions. However, many of our negative thoughts are habitual and reflexive and the route of many unhelpful and unpleasant emotions. These negative thoughts can be challenged and changed. Emotional well being is hard work – you are worth it !