Cognitive Distortions.

If we've returned from our general practitioner or the emergency room with a diagnosis of S93.5 according to the international classification of diseases, the diagnosis would sound something like this: Distorsio et distensio digiti pedis. In translation, this means that during the night we were looking for the light switch and slammed our toes full force into the leg (I guess that's the diminutive of 'noge' - foot) of the bed, dresser, or similar. The treatment is usually simple, a little ice or possibly a splint. And that's it.

However, if we were brave enough to "diagnose" ourselves with cognitive distortions, things get a bit more complicated. Some of these might even warrant cognitive-behavioral therapy, but that's not my area, so I'll stop there.

What are cognitive distortions?

Yes, the brain is still a marvel. AI is far from the functions of the brain, but that brain still plays tricks on us.

By definition, cognitive distortions are our tendencies, more or less frequently, to interpret reality in a negative and/or distorted way, which inevitably leads us to incorrect conclusions or decisions. Cognitive distortions can include overgeneralization, filtering positive experiences, making assumptions, overreacting, emotional reasoning, and personalization of events.

All or Nothing Thinking

This refers to a person's tendency to think in extremes and see the world in black and white, with no shades of gray. People with this cognitive distortion see things or people as "good" or "bad," "success" or "failure," without accepting any possibility of something in between.

Instead of this way of thinking, it's necessary to find a middle ground. Replacing the word "or" with "and" can also help. I dislocated my toe and I met an old friend from high school.

Overgeneralization

This distortion is based on jumping to hasty and overly broad conclusions based on one or a few negative experiences. People suffering from this distortion often conclude that a single negative experience is likely to recur and is applicable to all similar situations.

Of course, everything bad (and good, ultimately) that happens to us should be viewed as an individual and unrelated event. It can help to remove the words "always" or "never" in such situations. Just because I have a toe distortion doesn't mean it will happen every night. If nothing else, I won't get up until dawn :)

Filtering

If we selectively pick out certain information and disregard all other information, we likely have the cognitive distortion of filtering (information). In such cases, we filter information through a negative prism, focusing only on negative details and avoiding positive ones. This behavior generates pessimism in us.

Yes, I dislocated my toe, but I didn't break my neck and I met an old friend from high school.

Catastrophizing

This cognitive distortion refers to catastrophic thinking, i.e., exaggerating the negative consequences of a situation and creating worst-case scenarios, even when such outcomes are unlikely. A person with catastrophic thinking is more inclined to think about what could go wrong, rather than what could go right, even if the actual situation is not as bad as it seems.

An example of catastrophic thinking might be a situation where I'm late for a meeting, and then I think: “This is a disaster. I’ll never get there on time. Now they’ll think I’m disorganized and irresponsible.” In reality, being late for a meeting can be unpleasant, but it's not necessarily a catastrophe and won't necessarily lead to being labeled disorganized and irresponsible.

Instead of creating worst-case scenarios, why not think about best-case scenarios?

Disqualifying the Positive

I often used to tell a colleague: it's as if you're afraid to be happy. This is a cognitive distortion that refers to rejecting or minimizing positive experiences or situations and focusing only on the negative aspects. By using this distortion, we are very likely to feel unable to enjoy the good things in life because we don't acknowledge their value and significance.

The easiest way to become aware would be with the old saying: May God grant that you have, then don't. :) But, it would be much better, during evening introspection, to recall the good things, situations, or people we met that day.

Jumping to (Wrong) Conclusions

Well, most of us can probably relate to this distortion. Or at least have experienced it once. If nothing else, we've all said "nobody loves me" at least once as kids.

This cognitive distortion refers to drawing conclusions about situations, people, or events based on insufficient or incomplete information. A person using this distortion may assume they know what other people are thinking or feeling, even without real evidence for it.

Just because I dislocated my toe doesn't mean nobody loves me or that the world is ganging up on me. It just means I'm clumsy and my kinesthetic intelligence is zero. :) So, let's try to find at least five additional explanations before concluding "nobody loves us."

Emotional Reasoning

Probably the worst type of reasoning. It refers to drawing conclusions about reality based on the emotions a person feels, rather than on actual evidence. Emotional reasoning has already been discussed, so it's just important to take three deep breaths and learn to distinguish between emotion and truth, or fact.

Personalization

Undeniably, we have all been in a phase where we believed the world revolved (or didn't revolve) around us. This cognitive distortion refers to an excessive tendency to believe that events or actions of other people are directly related to us, despite a lack of actual connection. By using this distortion, we take responsibility for other people or situations that are beyond our control.

Here, it's time to (really) grow up, start accepting and understanding our mistakes, and learn from them.

Assumptions

And here we're all good. And we all think what others are thinking. We no longer just read people; now we even know what they are thinking :) Assumptions are a cognitive distortion that refers to interpreting events, situations, or the behavior of other people without actual confirmation or evidence. If we use this distortion, we assume we know what other people think or feel, and sometimes we even "know" what will happen in the future, like "I know they won't invite me to the next conference because this presentation was bad."

Overreactions

Anyone who had a fisherman or hunter in the house could almost certainly attribute this distortion to them. ???? However, this distortion refers to our tendency to exaggerate the significance and seriousness of events or situations, leading to excessive emotions and reactions. If we use this distortion, dramatization of situations is possible, and things will always seem worse than they are.