Did you know that you have over 6000 thoughts a day [1]? Thoughts are the internal dialogues that go on in your mind; your mental chatter. They provoke emotions within us that lead to behaviours that can affect our lives in either positive or negative ways. Negative emotions can make you feel bitter, anxious, and empty.
In this article, you will learn about the ways your negative thoughts may be causing you unnecessary misery by forming cognitive distortions. You will gain access to a well studied method of therapy that will help you undo these negative distortions to unlock a more fulfilling life.
Click here for a free downloadable CBT worksheet.
Cognitive Distortions
Do you wonder why humans often priotitize bad over good? This is because it is an evolutionary survival mechanism called negativity bias. It allows you to stay hypervigilent and defend yourself against danger. Negativity bias is the tendency to constantly reminisce and overthink trivial frustrations. Though this is an important survival instinct, it gives you little advantage today and may blow the true picture out of proportion.
Negative biases are also known as cognitive distortions. They are inaccurate interpretations of life events that can lead to depression and anxiety [2]. Have a look at Figure 1 to see a list of 15 cognitive distortions and their descriptions. Keep this list handy because you will need it for the following activity.
Negative thinking is highly correlated with increased depression and anxiety rates [3]. So, being mindful of your internal dialogue and learning to process your negative emotions into positive ones will help you live a most satisfying and happy life. A well-documented method of processing negative thoughts is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach.
What is CBT?
CBT is a very common type of psychotherapy in which therapists work collaboratively with patients to constructively reframe their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. This form of client-centered talk therapy is shown to be highly effective in treating depression, anxiety, addictions, and many more mental health conditions [4].
You can learn how to do CBT on your own. Wherever you want, whenever you want, so you can be your own therapist by using the CBT model when you don’t have immediate access to a therapist.
The CBT Model
Cognitive distortions usually form after an event takes place which triggers a specific thought. Then, your internal dialogue leads to a specific emotion being triggered, and finally, your thoughts and emotions result in a specific behavior [Figure 2].
For example, it’s a Friday night and you are at a friend’s house. You are hungry and dinner time rolls around, there is pizza and cake available so you eat it.
Person A: “I’ve been dieting for so long. I’m gonna eat as much cake as I can and this is the last time.”
Person B: “It’s a Friday night and I am having a great time. Although it is not the most healthy, I really want to eat that cake right now.”
After person A indulges in the food, they feel guilty, ashamed, and depressed.
After person B indulges in the food, they feel aware, delighted, and cheerful.
The next morning, person A punishes themselves by restricting their diet further.
The next morning, person B goes for a morning run as usual and intends to remain balanced and healthy.
As you can see, the thoughts in this situation affect emotions and behavior. Although you can not always control your external circumstances or what has already occurred, you can choose to change the way you respond to them. By learning to shift from a negative perspective into a positive perspective, you can live a more satisfying life [5].
How To Use The CBT Model
The CBT thought processing model is highly effective in converting unproductive and negative thoughts to more productive and positive thoughts. See Figure 3 for an example of the thought diary filled in.
This thought may not be easy at first, especially if you are a constant overthinker. This is because you have so many thoughts in your head going so fast, that you don’t even get the chance to pause and reflect on how they are affecting you.
Before You Start
The first step before you begin filling out the thought diary is to become mindful of your thoughts in response to life events. Your thoughts may have become so automatic that you do not even realize when they come and go, so try getting into the practice of actively noticing what goes on in your head. For each step, either write it down or take note of it in your head.
Step 1: Event – What Happened?
Here, you want to become aware of what exactly happened that triggered the thoughts. Was it an embarrassing moment, was it someone that bumped into you, or perhaps a conversation that occurred.
Ex: I messed up my words during the meeting
Step 2: Event – Automatic Thoughts – What Were You Telling Yourself When The Event Was Happening/Happened?
Now, become aware of your thoughts. This is where you need to be very mindful in the moment as the chatter in your mind begins.
Ex: I feel so embarassed. I am never going to get the job. They think I am dumb.
Step 3: Feelings – How Did It Make You Feel?
Get very descriptive and name the emotion you felt using multiple emotion words. Use the emotion wheel below by Dr. Gloria Willcox to help you find more adjectives to describe your feelings [Figure 4].
Ex: Inferior, inadequate, ashamed.
Step 4: Behaviour – What Was Your Response?
Think about the ways you directly or indirectly responded to the situation.
Ex: I was zoned out for the rest of my day at work and did not get much work done.
Step 5: Supportive Evidence
Proof that your thought is true.
Ex: I stumbled on my words a couple of times and did not say exactly what I wanted to say.
Step 6: Non-Supportive Evidence
Proof that your thought may not be true.
Ex: They smiled at me at the end. They complimented my idea about the rainforest.
Step 7: Identify Cognitive Distortion
Can you identify which cognitive distortion your thought falls into on the cognitive distortions chart?
Ex: Maybe emotional reasoning and overgeneralization.
Step 8: New thought
What is a new thought you have that is more productive?
Ex: Although it was not my best meeting, I did my best. I believe in my ideas so I think it will do great, and if not there will be plenty more opportunities in the future.
Labelling Emotions: Feeling Wheel
Labeling an emotion expands awareness and helps you create more distance from it, allowing you to have more control over your response. They also help you gain emotional clarity which allows you to have a better response and understanding of yourself. The emotion wheel is an excellent tool to help you name your emotions.
If you practice this regularly, you will start catching yourself right when a negative thought starts forming and you can go through these steps in your mind anywhere, anytime. By implementing this practice into all your live events or triggers, you will live a life of greater clarity, peace, and joy [6].
- Tseng, & Poppenk, J. (2020). Brain meta-state transitions demarcate thoughts across task contexts exposing the mental noise of trait neuroticism. Nature Communications, 11(1), 3480–3480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17255-9
- Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive Distortions, Humor Styles, and Depression. Europe’s journal of psychology, 12(3), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118
- Gustavson, D. E., du Pont, A., Whisman, M. A., & Miyake, A. (2018). Evidence for Transdiagnostic Repetitive Negative Thinking and Its Association with Rumination, Worry, and Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: A Commonality Analysis. Collabra. Psychology, 4(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.128
- Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive therapy and research, 36(5), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
- Eagleson, C., Hayes, S., Mathews, A., Perman, G., & Hirsch, C. R. (2016). The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Behaviour research and therapy, 78, 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017
- David, D., Cristea, I., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). Why Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Is the Current Gold Standard of Psychotherapy. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00004