Blog — cognitive distortions RSS

I hold the warmth of your lonely soul. Let your fears go. Let them fly away and dissipate. That's how we'll make our escape. - +positive masters+, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Poem, 6/22/2019 - You can be physically lonely, and you can be mentally lonely. Your fears can control your mind. You may keep them within you because you don't want anyone to see your vulnerability. However, by talking about your fears to someone who is understanding, that person may be able to help you to take the necessary steps to push away your perception of your fears, which are often distorted. Talk therapy or psychotherapy with an understanding person can help you break out of your blown out of proportion...

Cognitive Distortions - Part 8Don't scold yourself or others for falling short of your standards.  Do you find yourself telling yourself, "I should've done this" or "I should've done that"? These type of words and the tone of them can create unnecessary frustration in your life. When you have goals, it's human to fall short at times. No one achieves everything they want. Take a closer look at your journey and all the knowledge, skills, and relationships you've gained. Don't you think all of them are wins? They are! Now, the same goes for how you judge others. Don't scold them for falling short of your standards. I repeat "your standards," which could be blown out of proportion (another cognitive...

Cognitive Distortions - Part 7Don't believe your distorted emotions are the truth.  Don't believe your distorted emotions are the truth. For example, you make a mistake and tell yourself, "I feel like an idiot; therefore, I am an idiot." No you're not an idiot. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. In that case, everyone is an idiot. Please. That's simply not true. Let's say you broke up with your lover, and this is the third time you've had a serious relationship. You tell yourself, "Since this is my third break-up, no one will ever love me." Again, your emotions are grossly exaggerated. You have many potential partners out there, and if they had an opportunity to know you, many...

Cognitive Distortions - Part 6 Don't blow things up out of proportion or minimize them. When you fail, don't exaggerate your errors and imperfections. Don't blow them up way out of proportion because doing so will cause you unnecessary grief. Everyone makes mistakes. Failure plays a huge role in your learning process; however, you may fear it as you get older. Constantly remind yourself that failure is part of your growth. If you fall down, you can get back up again stronger by learning from your mistakes. When you tried to walk as baby, you would fall down often, sometimes getting injured; yet, you kept getting up and trying again until walking became second nature. Products, services, and philosophical and scientific...

To counter your anxiety or depression, take one small action at a time, and reward yourself for taking these actions. When you're anxious or depressed, you may freeze-up and find it difficult to do your work or even your basic tasks. Instead, you think about your worries or painful memories. When you're unable to do anything to help yourself progress, your worries or sadness increases because now you have added stress for all the things you haven't been able to keep up with. As a result, your anxiety or depression compounds, pulling you deeper and deeper into darkness. People expecting your work, may take it out on you, not knowing the struggles you're dealing with: death of a loved one,...