Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

When things go wrong, you have a tendency to exaggerate the consequences and imagine that the results will be disastrous.  You view the situation as “worst case scenario”.

E.g. you wake up late for work and think, “OMG, my boss is going to fire me!” 

Drawing a conclusion without any real evidence. We jump to conclusions when we assume that we know what someone else is thinking and when we make predictions about what is going to happen in the future.

E.g. “He has been very quiet the whole day.  He must be angry with me.”

Drawing a general conclusion on the basis of only one incident or one piece of evidence.  

E.g. One cab driver takes a longer route. You think, “All cab drivers are the same; all out to cheat people.”

Things are black or white, all or nothing.  There no grey or middle ground, no room for mistakes.

E.g. “If I don’t come in first, I don’t even want to try.”

When you use label, you might call yourself or other people names. You identify with your own or other’s shortcomings.

E.g. “I am useless.” instead of “I made a mistake.”  Or “She is lazy.” instead of “She did not complete this piece of work.”

Blaming yourself for or anything that goes wrong, even when it’s not your fault or responsibility.

When you filter, first you hone in on the negative aspects of your situation. Then you ignore or dismiss all the positive aspects.

E.g. Focusing on the one critical remark in your paper, neglecting the several compliments.

Having a list of ironclad rules about how others and we should behave. A person often believes they are trying to motivate themselves with shoulds and musts.

E.g. “I must exercise. I shouldn’t be so lazy.”