Cognitive Distortions

This week, I want to talk about cognitive thought distortions. We all have them at one time or another, but I know for me my mental illnesses tends to give me an extra helping of them.

First things first, what are cognitive distortions? Simply put, they are faulty ways of thinking. And they can be downright negative. For me, a lot of my cognitive thought distortions are that I am not good enough, that the accomplishments I have in my life are just a mistake. I am constantly doubting myself and dismissing the many positive things I have done.

I know I am not the only one with impostor syndrome as one of my thought distortions. Another common one is forecasting, where you assume that things are going to turn out bad. “Why bother turning the game on, I know my team is going to lose?”

Yet cognitive thought distortions don’t have to have all the power. Sometimes, we can take a deep breath and ask ourselves if our thoughts check out. Does it really seem right that all my accomplishments are mistakes. Can’t be. And bit by bit I learn to push back.

In addition to challenging the thoughts for yourself, using objective evidence, it is also helpful to talk to someone, a friend, a therapist, or a peer support specialist. They can listen to your thought distortion and tell you objectively just how wrong that thought process is.

The worst thing you can do is leave that negative thought distortion inside yourself to fester. Once there, it will continue to chip away at your self-esteem and mental health. Yet like I said, the more you talk about it, the less power it has.

And that is exactly why the LegalMind Society exists, to make it less scare to say things like that out in the open and to get support that will put you back on a positive path. For more information about our services, email info@thelegalmindsociety.org. And thanks for reading.