Countless books include catastrophic consequences of perceptions, or the way someone thinks things are, as the plot.
Whether the narrator has omitted information or a character is unaware of their role in a bigger situation, books have taught us that perception isn't always reality. As avid readers, we've noticed that questioning our perception is tricky. Human beings have a really strong ability to make connections and recognize patterns. A lot of the time the patterns and connections we make are helpful and good, (when we burn our hand on a sparkler we make a connection between the sparkler and the burn, then we don’t burn our hand on the sparkler again). But sometimes we make connections between things that are unrelated (I don’t do as well as my friend in spelling in 3rd grade so I must be bad at spelling). Once we believe something, whether or not it’s true, we look for additional evidence in the world around us to back up our beliefs. This is called confirmation bias. |
What are Cognitive Distortions??Cognitive distortions are fancy words to say "negative thoughts" or "not so great things you tell yourself." Our thoughts happen automatically, sometimes without our noticing, and yet they can significantly impact our mood and behavior. It's arguably the most important part of managing anxiety.
Sometimes we have negative thoughts when we are in a situation that makes us anxious. We have them after, before, or a week later when we remember it in detail and feel ashamed and want to hide under the bed for a couple weeks. |
Core BeliefsRemember in Inside Out when her core memories were getting all messed up? It's pretty much the same idea.
You have Core Beliefs about yourself and the world that act like a weird set of laws. Those Core Beliefs produce the cognitive distortions or negative thoughts In The Moment. Then you melt down. The laws or rules that you made up for yourself are causing a complete anxiety attack. Identifying the negative thoughts as part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps you figure out those Core Beliefs or laws. It's important to write down your negative thoughts about situations that give you anxiety so you can figure out your core beliefs. Here's the worst thing we found out during this process: Those Core Beliefs are A LOT like the memories in the movie Inside Out. They can be corrupted by your emotions. And they come from unusual places. |
What can we do when we catch ourselves engaging in cognitive distortions?
There are a number of effective, evidence-based techniques and practices for Cognitive Reframing. The first step in all of these techniques and practices is to first identify what distortions you're using. Read More by clicking on the link. |