Have you ever found yourself jumping to the worst possible conclusion based on minimal evidence? Or perhaps you’ve labeled yourself as a ‘failure’ after making a single mistake? If so, you’ve experienced cognitive distortions: biased and inaccurate patterns of thinking that determine how we view the world. In this post, we’ll explore what cognitive distortions are, give you some examples of the most common types, and discuss how journaling can help you recognise some of these patterns in yourself.
What Are Cognitive Distortions?
Our brains often rely on mental shortcuts (called heuristics) to make decisions quickly and efficiently. While heuristics often serve us well by allowing us to process information rapidly, they can sometimes lead to cognitive biases and distortions. Cognitive distortions are mental filters or habits that can distort our perception of reality. They’re sneaky, automatic, and usually pretty negative thought patterns. They often involve:
- Making a situation worse than it actually is.
- Focusing only on the negative parts of an experience.
- Making unfounded assumptions about other people’s thoughts or behaviours.
👉 These kind of thoughts might feel true in the moment, but they’re usually an exaggeration or misinterpretation.
When do Cognitive Distortions Become a Problem?
Although cognitive distortions are common to everyone, they can become problematic when they dominate our thinking. When you consistently interpret situations through a distorted lens, you may find yourself avoiding opportunities, withdrawing from relationships, or making decisions based on fear rather than reality.
Moreover, these thinking patterns can become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you expect rejection, you may unconsciously act in ways that actually trigger rejection, seemingly validating your original belief. This creates a cycle that can be difficult to break.
Recognising Cognitive Distortions
Distorted thinking patterns shape how we see reality and often operate without us being aware of it. Recognising thought patterns can help you choose a more balanced perspective and respond to situations more rationally. Below are some examples of common thought patterns that can distort our perception of reality and might need questioning:
- Black-and-white thinking: seeing things as all good or all bad with no middle ground. If you don’t perform perfectly, you see yourself as a complete failure.
- Mind reading: assuming you know what others are thinking. You might believe that someone doesn’t like you based on their facial expression, without considering alternative explanations.
- Fortune telling: predicting that things will turn out badly without proper evidence.
- Catastropising: imagining the worst possible outcome and treating it as inevitable. When your boss wants to meet with you, you immediately assume you’re getting fired.
- Personalisation: believing everything others do or say is a direct reaction to you. If a friend seems upset, you automatically assume it’s something you did, even when their mood might have nothing to do with you.
- Should statements: using “should,” or “must,” statements that set up unrealistic expectations of how you (or others) should feel or behave.
- Magnification: exaggerating the importance of problems and shortcomings.
- Overgeneralisation: drawing broad conclusions from a single event. You may view a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
- Labeling: attaching a negative label to yourself or others instead of describing specific behaviours.
- Mental filtering: focusing exclusively on negative details of a situation while ignoring the positives. You might receive ten compliments and one piece of constructive feedback, but only remember and dwell on the criticism.
👉 Don’t worry if you spot several of these in yourself! Everyone experiences cognitive distortions from time to time. The key is to notice them so you can respond more rationally and compassionately.
👉 I plan to write about some of these distortions in more detail in separate blog posts, each with tailored journaling prompts. Keep an eye out for these articles if you’re interested, or subscribe to my news letter if you don’t want to miss out 🙂
Journaling Prompts
Pattern recognition
Becoming aware of thoughts and thought patterns is the first step in changing them. You can write down negative thoughts throughout the day whenever you notice them, or look back at old journal entries to see if you can identify thinking patterns. You may also notice that certain situations trigger specific distortions, or that your thinking becomes more distorted when you’re tired or stressed. With practice, spotting cognitive distortions will become more automatic. Simply noticing these patterns can diminish their power over you
Reflection
Or if you have been practising daily or weekly reflection, you can try adding some of these prompts to your routine:
- Looking back at this day/week, what thinking patterns did I notice? What was the situation?
- Which cognitive distortions showed up repeatedly for me?
- What situations tend to trigger my most distorted thinking?
- How did challenging my thoughts change my feelings or actions this day/week?
- What progress have I made in catching and questioning negative thoughts?
- What do I want to remember next time I notice one of these distorted thoughts showing up?
- What does a mentally healthy inner voice sound like for me? How can I practice speaking to myself that way more often?
Challenge your thoughts
Sometimes awareness is not enough, or certain thoughts keep coming back. A good approach would be to challenge and reframe your thoughts. I’ve created a guide to questioning your thoughts here.
Final Thoughts
Cognitive distortions are a natural part of the human mind, but they don’t have to control you! Journaling creates the space to pause, reflect, and question your thoughts so you can see situations more clearly. Over time, this simple practice helps you develop self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a healthier relationship with yourself.
Next time you notice yourself spiralling into “all-or-nothing” or “worst-case scenario” thinking, grab your journal. Write it down, reflect, and remind yourself: your thoughts are not always facts 😊.
Further reading
Friedman, Hershey H., The Thinking Traps that Ruin Your Happiness: How to Recognize, Challenge, and Overcome Cognitive Distortions (December 20, 2023). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4670101
Disclaimer: The content of this post is for general information purposes only and is not intended (and should not be used as) mental health advice! If you are suffering from mental health related issues, we encourage you to seek a qualified mental health professional. For more information on how to use this website, visit the Terms & Conditions page.
Let me know what you think! I’d love to read your comments!
