Thinking Errors

I think it is important to dedicate a separate section for distorted thinking, as it is so common in our daily lives and it is mostly destructive and toxic. Here I would like to share some information I've learned reading CBT theory, motivate you to pause and think about things which we are not always aware of, challenge your thinking, and improve relationships with other people and your own self. 

 

We constantly make thinking errors, they are automatic and mostly negative. They distort and twist the truth, make things look worse than they really are, make us feel angry, stressed, anxious or sad. As humans we are prone to put blame on other people or things accusing them of causing us feeling bad and dwell on it. The more attention we pay to negative, pessimistic thoughts the worse we feel... What I'm trying to say is that most often we are not aware that we are the ones who generate thoughts, create pain and make ourselves suffer.

It wasn't easy to accept this when I first learned it, and in my opinion it's a life long challenge, because this doesn't come natural to us. How often do we step back and are critical about our thoughts and beliefs? We want to believe that we are 'always' right, but no matter how strongly you believe something it doesn't make it true. 

The most common thinking errors:  
 (To find out more about each of them click on a name, page opens in a new window)

• GENERALISING
• SHOULD / MUST
• LABELLING
• PERSONALISING 
• BLAME
• SELF-BLAME
• BLACK & WHITE
• FILTERING & MAGNIFYING
• CATASTROPHISING
• EMOTIONAL REASONING
• MIND READING
• FORTUNE TELLING
• EMOTIVE LANGUAGE
• ALWAYS BEING RIGHT


The information in this articles is based on the theory of CBT. 
Other References:  
Dr. Stephen Briers (2009) Brilliant Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
James Borg (2010) Mind Power