Hey everyone,
In today’s post on cognitive distortions, I’d like to share an example of ‘countering’ a distortion:
Imagine this, it’s 6PM and you WhatsApp-ed your friend 4 hours ago. You’ve checked your phone on several occasions and there’s no reply.
You’re thinking, “My friend must be mad at me for something I did” and feeling very worried. If you guessed this as jumping to conclusion, you’re right! This is an example of mind reading.
Now, let’s pause and consider the possibilities. “If I’m being realistic, she probably hasn’t checked her phone – maybe she’s busy with work or maybe her phone has no battery.”
And when you’re calmer, you might think that, “I prefer if she texts me back immediately. Technically, there’s no time limit for her to reply back and she’ll reply me whenever she can. This has also happened to me so I don’t need to worry like before. I’m making sure that I’m not letting my thoughts get out of hand by thinking she’s mad at me cause that might not be true.”
This is a representation of what can happen and you can increase the likelihood of this by being deliberate in catching yourself when you engage in the cognitive distortions. Then, remember to pause and take a breath, check if you’re thoughts are accurate and/or helpful, before considering more realistic outcomes or possibilities.
So that wraps up this series of posts on cognitive distortions. I hoped y’all managed to learn a bit more! And feel free to share any questions that you might have too! 