Name that distorted cognition (thought/perception)

[ms spock]

Emotional reasoning - yes my faulty perceptions, faulty thoughts, faulty emotions mean I think the worst and because I feel that way it must, of course, be true!

 

[ms spock]

I improved out of sight with these - my cognitions are so much less distorted. My thoughts, feelings and emotions are so less distorted. It is really feels like a miracle at times that I have improved so much. The hard work is definitely paying off. It really is paying off handsomely.

 

[ms spock]

The 10 primary cognitive distortions are:

1. All or nothing thinking -- You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.
2. Over-generalization -- You see a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
3. Mental filter -- You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it so exclusively that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that colors the entire beaker of water.
4. Disqualifying the positive -- You reject positive experiences by insisting they "don't count" for some reason or other. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences.
5. Jumping to conclusions -- You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion. (Involves mind-reading and fortune-telling.)
6. Magnification and minimization -- You exaggerate the importance of things, or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny.
7. Emotional reasoning -- You assume that your emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are, as in "I feel it, therefore it must be true."
8. Should statements -- You try to motivate yourself with "should" and "should not," as if you have to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything.
9. Labeling and mislabeling -- This is an extreme form of overgeneralization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself.
10. Personalization -- You see yourself as the cause of some negative external event which, in fact, you were not primarily responsible for.

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I have been doing a bit of all or nothing thinking. But a lot less in general, and this week I just focussed on what I could do and then did it and then moved on to the next thing.

I have done less of over generalisation.

I can go the path of mental filter quite easily but I am doing much better with that.

I am still doing quite a bit of disqualifying the positive - but I am so much better than I was at not doing this.

I have done a little bit of jumping to conclusions this week - but I didn't indulge in it as much this week. I stopped a lot and just was with what was going on. So that was a big improvement. I don't think I have done it less as I did this week, probably ever, in my life.

I have a small amount of magnification and minimisation but really I was much more present this week.

I didn't should myself this week. I was actually reasonable with myself and I gave myself a break. I gave myself some time off and I didn't savage myself with my inner talk.

I didn't do too much emotional reasoning - in fact I disputed this well. I didn't have ridiculous expectations of myself.

I didn't do 9 and 10.

There was a time when even reading though this list was out of my league - well that is what it felt like, and then there was a time when I could read it but couldn't think of how to dispute or challenge the thinking or the distorted cognitions. There was a long time where I just noticed how distorted my thoughts were, and now I am doing so much better. I can now dispute my thoughts. I can now challenge and break apart my thoughts.

The Mindfulness, the Self Compassion and beginning DBT really helped.

My friends here, my sister and B really helped.

My psychiatrist really helped.

Exercise and eating better really helped. I did do a bit of comfort eating this week, but nothing too serious really.

 

[Deleted member 29920]

No one wants me around = Haven't met every person on the planet yet so I can't possibly believe that anymore :)

(ps I hate my parents)

 

[rainy_daze]

2, 5, 6, 7 and 10 for me the past few days. It has been a battle and I've had to be reassured by my other half many times. I dislike this needy side of myself. I dislike having to be assured or shown I'm wrong by someone other than myself.

I think I'm quite lonely and this is causing my thoughts to go into overdrive. I've had positive and negative stressors, along with tough therapy sessions, so I guess it is bound to be a difficult time with my thoughts.

I've been seeing patterns of people not liking me/not listening/ignoring me, and maybe this is something I'm going through as part of no longer being a doormat for people. It is tough. I wish I didn't want to fit in, belong or be loved at all.

 

[ms spock]

All or nothing thinking -- You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.
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I am back to this one again. I didn't realise that it had got me, but it has!

 

[Ronin]

Minimization

B/c pft, health nonsense.

 

[ladee]

Why does there have to be 10 of them??? Why not 4 !!! Can't keep juggling all these ugly balls and stay on top of it.

 

[ms spock]

Jumping to conclusions -- You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion. (Involves mind-reading and fortune-telling.)
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Doing much better at not doing this one.

 

[ms spock]

Once I get on top of those top ten distorted cognitions this is what comes up: I am good enough, just as I am. I am good enough. I always was good enough, these emotions are the scars inflicted on me by my parents, and now I step up to the plate and start loving, caring for myself and having profound radical self acceptance and utter self compassion.

I am moving slowly but I am being very brave. I am being very brave indeed. I am scared and I am still going for it.

 

[ladee]

Nothing to be afraid of @Ms Spock, you are meeting the authentic you in the darkness, so the both of you can walk free... you are not alone... lots of hugs to you on your journey.

 

[Lionheart]

now I step up to the plate and start loving, caring for myself and having profound radical self-acceptance and utter self-compassion.

I am with you on this @Ms Spock

It is time to accept myself as being not only good enough but, totally lovable in every way, perfect and unique in my beauty and awesomeness!!!

I am ready to accept positive energies into my life and I do so without further hesitation.