Today, we see that cognitive distortions which are not thoughts.  There are ways of thinking we actively  engage in sometimes unknowingly  persistent. Cognitive distortions can  worsen or create mental health issues.  Distorted thoughts are  habits and we can learn to change them  ultimately preventing these unhealthy  habits from promoting unhealthy thinking  styles.  Here are five common habits that distort  how you think.


1. Over-generalization :




     After a failed past relationship  deleting dating apps or rescuing  relationships altogether is the standard  course of action.  Over-generalization is a cognitive  distortion where you might base all your  information on a single incident.  This kind of thinking is limiting and  sets you up for all distorted thinking  and emotional pain. It establishes self-defeat before even  going to battle. Most times over generalizations are  inaccurate.  Your mind is like a sound board, the  ideas you play over in your head  eventually make up the melody.  If you find yourself over generalizing  an action or event pause. 


2. Labeling :



     Labeling or mislabeling is an extreme  form of overgeneralizing.   An example of labeling would be when  ignoring context someone might label  another as a jerk. If they rub them the  wrong way, it's either globally self-directed or  directed towards others  in reality.  Labeling is just another term  for prejudice harboring ill thoughts  about someone you or someone else  without sufficient evidence to support  your thought.  Mislabeling typically involves highly  colored and emotional language  often you tend to label without contex. A first step to combating these kinds of  distorted thoughts is identifying them.


 3. Blaming :




      Do you constantly feel that in your life  there are certain things just out of  your control  or that bad things happen regardless of  how careful you are ?  However this does not absolve you from  taking control of what you can control  a common habit that distorts the way you  think is blaming. An example of blaming  can look like this  stop making me feel bad about myself.  You may feel called out by someone's  comment but like Eleanor Roosevelt said,  no one can make you feel inferior  without your consent.  Blaming involves holding other people or  situations accountable for your  emotional pain  in some cases.  It can also go the other  way blaming yourself for everything that  happens even when it is out of your  control.  This thought habit encourages you to not  take responsibility or accountability  for what happens to you  although there will be things in your  life that you cannot control hold  yourself accountable for the things you  can your actions and emotions.


 4. Magnification :



     Do what if plague you into imagining  the absolute worst in every situation? What if i do badly on this test or what  if i get tongue-tied at the interview?   Magnification or catastrophizing is when  you negatively exaggerate the outcome.  You are in a state of anxiety about the negative possibilities thus causing you  to exaggerate the significance of unimportant events such as a social  blunder or someone else's achievement.  Magnification is harmful because it  keeps you frozen too scared to move  forward  the same can be said for magnification's  cousin minimization.  An example of minimization is when you  downplay a personal achievement  I did score high on the test but i'm not  that smart.




5. Emotional reasoning :




      It is easy to let emotions overwhelm  your rational mind and lead you to  believe something that is not  necessarily true. Emotional reasoning is taking our  emotions to the extreme allowing our  thoughts to be solely ruled by our  emotions.  Some examples of emotional reasoning are I feel guilty so i must be guilty of  something or i feel inadequate so i must  be  engaging in.  Emotional reasoning means  you assume that these unhealthy emotions  reflect reality, mental health issues make emotional  reasoning. One of the easiest distortions to fall into  emotions are like the weather constantly changing.  If you are having a rainy day finding  shelter in someone who is supportive and  willing to listen to you can be a great  help  getting out of an emotional reasoning.  Distortion might not be easy but  reaching out to a licensed.  Therapist can  help make a difference.  Cognitive distortions can easily change  your perspective but looking at the  bright side you can easily change the  distortion as well that is because  cognitive distortions in essence are  habits and the most effective way to get  rid of a bad habit is by replacing it  with a healthier one.