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Another excellent video from Therapy in a Nutshell is “How to Change the Way That You Think.” This is the foundation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
One of the most important things that I did when I started learning about these things was to keep a Thought Journal. I was shocked to find that almost every hour of the day, or whenever something different happened, I would have thoughts like
“I am broken.” (Overgeneralizing)
“I never do anything right.” (All-or-Nothing Thinking)
“He thinks I am making things up. He doesn’t believe me.” (Mind-Reading)
“I feel like a failure, so I am a failure.” (Emotional Reasoning)
“I am going to be too complicated for the therapist to help me.” (Jumping to Conclusions or Predicting the Future)
“The scale says I have gained ten pounds. I am so fat and ugly.” (Overgeneralizing)
“It’s all my fault that we don’t have enough money because of my medical expenses.” (Personalization)
“I should be a better wife.” (Should Statements)
“I am going to end up in a wheelchair.” (Catastrophizing)
“I fail at every job I’ve had.” (Exaggeration)
It was mind-blowing when I realized just how many negative thoughts I had in one day. It was even more eye-opening when I realized that almost every negative thought I had was distorted. They were all cognitive distortions!
Once I realized this, my therapist started helping me keep a Thought Record. Whenever I would think a negative thought, I would think about the situation that caused that thought, my emotions and behavior tied into that thought, and an alternative, healthier thought.
I won’t lie…reframing the way that I think is really hard to do! I am still practicing it. The more I do it though, the easier it gets. Here are some resources to help you identify your cognitive distortions and reframe the way that you think.
