"Thinking Traps"
There are several thinking mistakes that we made. These are almost like deceptive equivocation caused by the flaws in words and phrases. Here is a LIFECHANGING TIP: once you catch your thoughts and recognize that they are not "realistic" or "true", you can change your thoughts, and in turn change your feelings and behaviour.
Fortune-telling:
is when we predict that things will turn out badly. In reality, we cannot predict the future!
i.e. "I will never be able to manage my anxiety."
Black-and-white thinking:
is when we only look at situations in terms of extremes. Things are either good or bad, success or failure, devil or an angel. In reality, most things call for a "moderate" explanation. People and events can be both good and bad at the same time. They can be productive and unproductive, kind and mean...
i.e. "I didn't practice today. I'm a failure."
Mind-reading:
is when we assume what others are thinking and believe it is true. In reality, we cannot read minds.
i.e. "they think I'm ugly."
Over-generalization:
is when we use words like "always" or "never" to describe situations. This is not helpful because these statements are rarely true.
i.e. "I'm always alone."
Labelling:
is when we label ourselves with a single word. This is not helpful because we cannot be described by one word. We possess many qualities.
i.e. "I'm a loser."
Personalization:
is when we think that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to you. It is also when we compare ourselves to others, trying to determine who is smarter, better looking, etc.
i.e. "He didn't even wave at me. He must not like me."
Shoulding:
is when we have a list of rules about how we and others must behave. When these rules are broken, you feel enraged or guilty.
i.e. "I shouldn't feel this way."
Emotional Reasoning:
is when we believe that what you feel must be true automatically. In reality, feelings are just feelings and not necessarily based on facts!
i.e. "I feel stupid. I'm stupid."
Fallacy of Change:
is when we expect that others will change to suit you if you pressure them enough. This happens when we have the need to change people because our happiness depends on others.
Filtering:
is when we only pay attention to the negative events that happened and ignore the positives.
Catastrophizing:
is when we imagine that the worst thing is going to happen.
i.e. "I'll freak out and no one is going to help me."
Over-estimating danger:
is when we automatically predict something that's unlikely to happen.
i.e. "I'm gonna die!"
