How to Recognize and Reverse Distorted Thinking

Most of our feelings are triggered by how we interpret the events in our lives. Distorted thinking is the mind’s way of convincing us that something that isn’t true actually is. It is an inaccurate reasoning process that twists reality and deceives us into seeing things as being more negative than they are.

Common types of distorted thinking

Should/ought thoughts

You have a set of unbreakable rules as to how you and others should act and make judgments on how you think things ought to be instead of according to the circumstances.

Filtered thoughts

You focus on the negative details of a situation and filter out the positives.

All-or-nothing thinking

You see everything as black or white, good or bad, with no shades of gray. Anyone or anything that’s not perfect is a failure.

Overgeneralized thoughts

You form generalized conclusions based on single incidents and think of one negative experience as a never-ending pattern of loss or defeat that will continue to happen repeatedly.

Discounting the positive

When you do well at something or receive a compliment, you minimize or disqualify it, and/or brush it off.

Labeling

You tend to measure yourself and others by one characteristic and to attach a negative label to them or yourself instead of the mistake or behavior.

Jumping to conclusions

You make negative assumptions about what other people are thinking or feeling without evidence to support your conclusions.

Magnification and minimization

You magnify personal flaws, mistakes, and minor negative experiences out of proportion while minimizing your strengths, talents, and achievements.

Catastrophizing

You tend to blow things out of proportion and always expect the worst-case scenario, no matter how improbable it may be.

Personalization

You think everything is related to you even when there is no logical connection and feel guilty or to blame for negative events you had nothing to do with and/or that were out of your control.

Emotional reasoning

You think the way you feel is an accurate reflection of reality and use your emotions to assess a situation instead of considering the facts and objective evidence.

Global labeling

You turn single attributes into absolutes and then judge and/or define yourself or others by them without taking the context into account.

Control misconceptions

You may either feel responsible for everything and everyone, or think you have no control over anything and are just a helpless victim.

Tips for reversing distorted thoughts

• Recognize that feelings are not facts, and don’t believe everything you think.
• Notice what words or phrases you use in your mental self-talk and try to identify a pattern.
• Replace absolutes such as “always” and “nothing” with “sometimes” and “this”.
• Label the behavior, and not yourself or the other person.
• Practice self-compassion and speak kindly to yourself.
• Replace negative labels with kinder, more realistic ones.
• Look for something positive in each situation.
• Instead of focusing on what went wrong, think of the things that went right.
• Avoid catastrophizing.
• Check the facts before jumping to conclusions.
• Remind yourself that one unpleasant experience doesn’t mean it will always be that way.

Christian counseling to overcome distorted thinking

If you feel you need more help than what this article on distorted thinking could provide and would like to speak with one of the faith-based counselors at Los Angeles Christian Counseling in California, please give us a call.