Thoughts

Your thoughts are not facts. They’re hypotheses that your mind creates about you and the world around you. In addition to that, your mind has a way of convincing you of things that aren’t true. This is called cognitive biases/errors. Such false thoughts then reinforce unpleasant emotions and lower your self-esteem. So don’t believe everything you think!

Cognitive biases/errors are irrational thoughts that may seem true to you at the time, e.g.

  • Black and white thinking – either it has to be perfect or you consider it a failure, there is nothing in the middle.

  • Filtering – you pick out the negative details and exaggerate them while filtering out all the positive aspects of the situation.

  • Taking everything personaly – you believe that everything others do or say is a direct reaction to you.

  • Jumping into conclusions – without the person saying anything, you know how they are feeling and what they are thinking. Especially if it is about you.

  • Read more biases/errors and examples here.

Whether your thought is right or wrong – try to look at the arguments for it and against it. This will help you create more positive models of the world and interpret events in a healthier way. The key is to be able to recognize that you are looking at reality in a distorted way – and try possibly to correct it.

Tips

Be mindful that you are not made only of your thoughts and gain distance from them with this Cognitive Defusion excercise:


1. Write down your unpleasant thought that is bothering you. Write it exactly as it sounds in your mind.

2. Now write the thought again, but put these words before the sentence: I HAVE A THOUGHT THAT… (Write all these words and your thought by hand).

3. Finally, write the thought again, but this time write the following words in front of it: I’VE NOTICED THAT I HAVE A THOUGHT THAT… (write all these words and your thought).

4. Notice how you feel now and if anything has changed.

Do you want to know more?

  • If you want to understand more about cognitive diffusion, try this excercise.

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