Stinking Thinking Part 2 - (Cognitive Distortions…How do I change them?)

May 20

Written By Sarah Fry

HOW TO WORK ON COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS:

Question your thoughts:: Start to notice your thoughts. Look at them, thinking about them. Don’t just accept everything that flys through your head.
Identify the cognitive distortion. Look through the list and name the distortion that best suits your thinking.
Reframe the situation. Write down your original thought, followed by three or four alternative interpretations.
Examine the evidence. Do I absolutely know this is true? What evidence do I have that this is true? What evidence do I have against it?
Speak Truth:: Say what you know is true about the situation. Get help from a friend if you can’t seem to get clarity.
Double standard method
Thinking in shades of gray:: Think in possibilities, not black and white. What if there isn’t just one right answer, or one possibility? What if something were a little different?
Experimental method
Survey method
Semantic method: Semantics refers to how you say something…the words that you choose make a difference. Try saying it another way.
Wouldn’t it be nice if::
And instead of Both::
Definitions
Re-attribution
Cost-benefit analysis. (What is it costing me to think this way?)

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/cognitive-distortions#polarized-thinking

https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions

https://psychcentral.com/lib/fixing-cognitive-distortions#How-to-Fix-Common-Cognitive-Distortions

https://heritagecounselingcenter.blogspot.com/2015/03/disarming-cognitive-distortions-with.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR03dPQnZxrTelZKVAo_ZT8zJC-Mp61nbqG1kZclTW7WKl7_JvgZdYvpbbE